15 Jul 2026

Chobe tourism operators have called on government to decentralise the business licensing process, arguing that empowering district-level authorities is the only way to eliminate costly administrative delays and boost operational efficiency. 

Speaking at a consultative meeting on the review of the Tourism Act in Kasane on Monday, industry stakeholders argued that housing the licensing approval board exclusively at the Department of Tourism headquarters in Gaborone created unnecessary bottlenecks. 

They stated that the centralised model was both time-consuming and impractical for a single body handling applications from across the entire country.

To resolve such inefficiencies, attendees urged government to integrate digitalisation and innovation into the new Act by creating a centralised online portal that hosted all licensing information and outlined required documents as well as processed online payments. Furthermore, they proposed that the new legislation included provisions for a single and all-encompassing license for large-scale enterprises. 

They pointed out that under the current framework, multi-service businesses, such as five-star hotels, were forced to secure separate and individual licenses for every single activity they offered, including boat cruises, game drives and photography.

Stakeholders also recommended replacing the current flat-rate licensing fee with a variable structure tied directly to business revenue, arguing that the flat-rate system unfairly penalised start-ups by charging them the same fees as multi-million-dollar enterprises. 

To further streamline compliance, attendees recommended expanding the statutory powers of the Department of Tourism personnel, saying that would allow field officers to enforce penalties directly on-site, rather than relying on police intervention to lay charges as the current law dictated.

Responding to the submissions, the Department of Tourism director, Mr Lopang Pule, explained that a diagnostic review had shaped the National Tourism Strategy Master Plan, which exposed how outdated regulations continued to hinder growth in the sector. 

He noted that the ongoing consultations would help birth a comprehensive legislative document built on forward-thinking ideas designed to remove operational barriers and optimise efficiency. 

Mr Pule emphasised that the new Act must actively promote product diversity by incorporating cultural heritage, eco-tourism as well as other under-explored niches.

“We must come up with a legislative that caters for emerging trends, innovation and be futuristic applying to the next 30 years,” Mr Pule said. ENDS