Zimbabwe's government just gutted licensing fees for tourism businesses and made the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority the main regulator for everything. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said they slashed local authority permits by half, dropped five-star hotel registration from over five grand to two thousand bucks, and cut game drive permits by 50 percent. Professional tour guide licenses went from 50 dollars yearly to a one-time 20-dollar payment.
The reforms ditched the liquor license requirement since local authorities already handle that, and boat permits got chopped from 600 dollars to nothing. Aircraft registration fees dropped from up to a thousand dollars down to 20 bucks. Investment licenses for special economic zones fell from 50,000 dollars to 2,500, and general investment permits decreased from 5,000 annually to 4,000 spread over three years.
Economist Trust Chikohora said the moves should bring more investors since Zimbabwe's business costs were among the highest in the region. The country is upgrading roads and airports while pushing digital systems at border crossings to make visiting smoother.
The reforms ditched the liquor license requirement since local authorities already handle that, and boat permits got chopped from 600 dollars to nothing. Aircraft registration fees dropped from up to a thousand dollars down to 20 bucks. Investment licenses for special economic zones fell from 50,000 dollars to 2,500, and general investment permits decreased from 5,000 annually to 4,000 spread over three years.
Economist Trust Chikohora said the moves should bring more investors since Zimbabwe's business costs were among the highest in the region. The country is upgrading roads and airports while pushing digital systems at border crossings to make visiting smoother.
