Tourism (Designated Tourist Facilities) (General)(Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (No. 6)

The Tourism (Designated Tourist Facilities) (General) Regulations, 1996 gain a new fee schedule, and for the first time the list explicitly names Airbnb, homestays and self-catering operators.

Registration of any designated tourist facility now costs a non-refundable US$20 application fee. Annual hotel licensing runs by star rating: US$200 for one star, US$400 for two, US$600 for three, US$1,000 for four and US$2,000 for five. Grading and regrading a hotel, motel or inn costs US$500 for one star, US$700 for two, and US$1,500 for three stars and above.

Smaller accommodation is cheaper. Guest houses and lodges pay US$200 a year at one to three stars and US$300 at four stars and above. Standard-grade farmhouses pay US$150, safari camps and self-catering accommodation US$200, Airbnb listings US$200, boats and houseboats US$300, and homestay or ad hoc accommodation US$20.

On the operator side, a professional tour guide licence is US$20 a year and a tour operator's licence US$300, while external tour operators pay US$1,500. Conference operators and venues pay US$250, events planners US$200, travel agencies US$150, and recreational facilities US$200. Aircraft, motor coaches, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles, non-consumptive photographic activity and hunting operators are US$20 each.

Restaurants are graded too: US$700 a year at four and five star, US$450 at one to three star, US$100 for fast food, US$100 for takeaway registration and US$100 for a coffee shop.

The amendment also repeals two subsections of section 3 of the principal regulations — subsections (1)(b)(ii) and (2)(c)(ii) — and inserts a new section 3 carrying the application fee. What those repealed subsections required is not reproduced in the amendment, so the principal regulations should be read alongside it.