Starting a tourism business in Kenya

Kenya’s tourism sector is a thriving growth industry, and presents many excellent opportunities for investment. We encourage both local and foreign investment in tourism, as means of encouraging development and alleviating poverty. We actively encourage diversification of our tourism product by seeking and promoting investment into a varied range of tourism products and services in an equally diverse range of locations. We support the development of Community and Eco-Tourism and projects that protect natural and cultural resources and equitably share products with those communities with which they work. Tourist businesses include: HOTELS: A Hotel means premises on which accommodation is supplied or available  for supply ,with or without food or services ,in exchange for money or moneys worth and includes premises known as “ service “flats”, “service apartment” , “beach cottages”, “holiday cottages ”, “game lodges”,  and  “bandas” ; but does not include premises on which the only accommodation supplied or available for supply is under a lease or licence of not less than one month ,unless by prior arrangement the occupier may no, without penalty ,terminate that lease or license on less than one months notice. RESTAURANTS: A Restaurant means any premises on which carried on the business of supplying for reward any food or drink, but does not include: a bon afide works or staff canteen maintained ,for the use of persons employed in any particular undertaking ,by that undertaking; or any premises where food or drink is supplied only to persons who reside or board at, or work at, such premises; or any portion of a licensed hotel. Tour Operators and other Businesses The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife issues Regulated Tourist Licences which are issued to various categories of tourist activities by the Licensing Section in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife as follows: - Class “A” Enterprises These are enterprises (whether carried on alone or in conjunction with some other enterprise) and falling within one or more of the following classes. A.1        Tour/Safari Operators A.2        Motor Vehicles Hire A.3        Local Air-Charter Companies A.4        Travel Agency (AITA appointed Agents) A.5        Water Sports A.6        Balloon Operators A.7        Boat excursions A.8        Game Ranches Class A enterprises shall pay……………………Kshs. 8,000 Class ‘B’ Enterprises B.1        Proprietors, owner-drivers and self employed drivers of passenger vehicles used wholly or partly in a tourist enterprise. B.2        Safari Outfitters including shopkeepers, stallholders and any other person offering garments of Souvenir value for sale to tourists as a substantial part of their business. B.3        Game fishing outfitters B.4        Proprietors of enterprises offering camps and camping equipment for hire. B.5        Motor cycle or Bicycle hire enterprises B.6        Nature Parks B.7        Amusement Parks B.8        Non-Citizen tour leaders/guides Class “C” Enterprises C.1        Shopkeepers, Stale holders, Stand holders and any other person offering for sale to tourists as a substantial part of their business goods made by hand from indigenous raw materials and manufactures of such goods. C.2        Local Traditional Boat Operators C.3        Professional Safari Photographers C.4        Travel Bureau or booking offices other than those of an airline, which operates international air routes and does not carry on any tourist activities in Kenya. C.5        Interpreters C.6        Private Zoos C.7        Cultural Centres C.8        Citizen Tour Leaders/Guides Exempted Enterprises Enterprises being either: an undertaking operated by the Government or the community oran undertaking consisting of taxi-cab within the meaning of the Traffic Act, plying for hire within the area of jurisdiction of the local authority under whose by-laws it is registered. Most Tourism Businesses in Kenya pay a Catering and Tourism Development Levy. These funds are utilized by CTDLT, which is charged with the mandate of developing the Kenyan tourism industry through sponsorship of marketing through KTB training through KUC and development of standards. From : Kuwait times.