Hatab Decries Red Tape In Tourism Industry
Chakalisa Dube | Monday May 4, 2015 14:45
The board chairperson of Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) Dr Thapelo Matsheka revealed this at the HATAB annual conference here on Wednesday.
According to Matsheka for the last 10 years, HATAB has been trying to lobby the government to address some impediments in the tourism sector but the latter has not been that responsive.
“ In 2011 we compiled and submitted a report of all these impediments that affect our operations to the government.
“ The report or the catalogue of issues deals with bureaucratic red tape imposed on the industry by various government agencies such as Transport, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. These issues however remain unsolved,” highlighted a concerned Matsheka.
Among key issues of concern to the chairperson is the security tenure for concession areas, which he said is not only highly unpredictable but lacks transparency. He said in 2008, the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) sought to establish a land bank of all concession areas, which would allow the government to directly influence the allocation of concessions as well as utilisation through competitive bidding of management plans for both existing operators and broad market.
The move, according to Matsheka, was intended to access the true market value and potential of concession areas.
“ Regrettably this has been caught up in unclear allocation criteria and as we speak a number of concession areas remain without a decision of whether to renew for existing operators with the resultant uncertainty to roll out expansion plans by existing operators,” Matsheka said.
He noted that the trend scares away investors who need predictability as well as hampering the growth of the tourism sector.
In his lengthy address, Matsheka also expressed worry that the tourism sector is not streamlined into existing current employment laws, covering hours of work, maternity, HIV treatment and leave days. He however noted that the government needs to be responsive on such issues.
Also of concern to Matsheka is the unavailability of statistics in the tourism industry from government. He noted that the tourism sector has grown significantly in recent years particularly 2014 but it is hard to ascertain the growth of the industry or plan well for it without numbers. In addition he said that data is vital because it can help in the implementation of the existing 15-year-old tourism master plan and help in policy formation.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Elias Magosi said that he is new in office and promised that he will make sure that a litany of challenges in the tourism industry are sorted out.