Tourism Bill in the pipeline

A draft Bill that aims at streamlining tourism operations in the country is currently at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Sunday Times has learnt.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Emmanuel Hategeka, yesterday confirmed the development, adding that it was in its final stages.“We are in our final touches of this bill, working on a timeframe so that it should be forwarded to parliament before end of this month,” Hategeka said.He said the tourism sector was expected to be regulated considering many aspects that include professionalism to improve and promote it further.“This sector has over time been growing and the extent it has reached needs a law as a legal tool that will take it to the next level, but also regulate it the same way other tourism sectors in the region are regulated,” he said.He pointed out that although his ministry, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Private Sector Federation (PSF) have been working together in promoting the sector, it is high time legal instruments get considered.In an interview with The Sunday Times, Rica Rwigamba, Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, said that when the Bill is enacted, it will greatly improve service delivery.“It is an obvious case that any law comes with penalties if any player operates against it. And from that perspective, service providers will automatically have to reverse their ways in attending to customers,” Rwigamba noted.She pointed out that key service providers in the industry are currently undergoing reforms to become professionals in various hospitality activities.“There will be limitations based on professionalism; meaning that there will be minimum requirements for people to engage in tourism and hospitality services,” she said.