Following a notice issued earlier this month on the looming closure of unlicensed accommodation facilities come November 18th, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), has launched the enforcement exercise to crack down on non-compliant proprietors.
In partnership with the Uganda Police, UTB conducted a training for Tourism Police officers on Saturday at Police Headquarters – Naguru, to streamline operations of the forthcoming enforcement of this tourism legal framework component starting with the Kampala Metropolitan Area.
This enforcement exercise is in accordance with the regulation under the Uganda Tourism Act 2008 which requires that all accommodation facilities in Uganda be licensed by UTB to operate legally.
The first phase was sensitization of facility owners which was rolled out in May this year.
Speaking during the training, UTB Deputy CEO Bradford Ochieng emphasized that licensing of tourism enterprises such as accommodation facilities is not just a win for marketing destination Uganda but is also a vital marketing tool for individual facilities.
“At the end of the day, if your facility is registered and compliant, listed on the UTB website as an authentic service provider, it’s a marketing avenue for you. A license tells clients that the regulator is confident in the services you offer which makes your facility an option to choose from. It is a marketing tool for both destination Uganda as a whole and individual service providers,” he said.
Ochieng further underscored the primary role licensing plays in upholding and maintaining operating standards in the tourism industry.
“We monitor their (service providers) compliance but also do capacity building to enable them to do better. We have to make sure that everyone who is handling a tourist or traveler is licensed because that’s the only way to play it safe as regards upholding standards,” he said.
Ochieng noted that UTB has taken a further step to engage people investing in hospitality facilities about familiarizing themselves with the standard requirements such measurements for standard hotel bedrooms among others.
This, he said, is to guide them as they lay plans and start construction to avoid future line encumbrances.
As a government regulator for the tourism and hospitality industry, UTB is mandated to do registration, monitoring and licensing of sector players including accommodation facility proprietors, tour and travel operators, as well as tour guides.
Compliance level still low
According to Ochieng, out of the estimated 4000 accommodation facilities countrywide, less than 200 are licensed.
Among the reasons cited for non-compliance among hotel owners is ignorance about the cause, complacency on getting registration done and the registration and licensing fees which some proprietors have made a scape goat for their defaulting.
Addressing the training on Saturday, CP Patrick Lawot, the Deputy Director Counter Terrorism Police, noted that Tourism police, under the Counter Terrorism department, is mandated to secure tourists and the destinations they go to including national parks, museums and accommodation facilities among others.
Enforcing compliancy to the minimum operation standards, CP Lawot said, will be done in collaboration with the territorial police in the areas where the facilities are located.
He noted that the training is crucial as it will guide and enable officers to carry out the enforcement seamlessly.
“We need to improve on the standards of the service we offer tourists so that we boost tourist numbers and the revenue. This, however, is not possible if the various stakeholders are not registering a certain level of client satisfaction. This is what the enforcement seeks to achieve,” CP Lawot said.
Non-compliant facilities to be closed
The registration, which is a one-time charge, is Shs 200,000 and the annual license renewal fee is Shs 100,000.
According to the Quality Assurance Manager at UTB Semakula Samora, properties found without a valid operating license will be closed down and required to formally register and apply for a license after fulfilling minimum requirements as per the regulations under the Uganda Tourism Act 2008
“We are focusing on 19 policing divisions within Kampala including Central Kampala, Kawempe, Wandegeya, Lubaga, Nansana, Kakiri, Entebbe, Mukono among others. The exercise will then proceed to other areas across the country,” Samora said.
To avoid closure, accommodation facilities are required to register with UTB and obtain a tourism operating license.
