EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM THE PACE OF HARMONIZING HOSPITALITY STANDARDS WITHIN THE EAC IS WANTING
Nairobi, October 03, 2016
THE PACE OF HARMONIZING HOSPITALITY STANDARDS WITHIN THE EAC IS WANTING
BACKGROUND According to Article 115 of the EAC Treaty, EAC can achieve its objectives; if its partner states develop a collective and coordinated approach to the promotion and marketing of quality tourism into and within the region. In this regard, partner states should coordinate their tourism policies and establish a framework of cooperation that will ensure equitable distribution of benefits. Further, the treaty states that partner states should establish a common code of conduct among tour and travel operators, standardize hotel classification and harmonize professional standards of agents in the travel and tourism industry within the region. Moreover, partner states are required to develop a regional strategy for tourism promotion where individual state’s efforts are reinforced by regional action. It is in line with this that EATP critically examines the pace of harmonization of hospitality standards and advise relevant authorities on the way forward. STATUS OF CLASSIFICATION • Progress has been made in the classification of hotels. • While, in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda classification is on-course; with some hotels have being classified and others in progress, in Burundi, no hotel has been classified since 2010 the year when common criteria to classify hotels, lodges and restaurants across all five member states of East Africa was launched. • On the other hand, Rwanda has made significant progress in classification with majority of hotels having been classified. • Additionally, classification is on-course in Tanzania and Uganda. The progress of classification is summarized in Table 1. • A further examination of the pace of hotel classification paints a dim picture as shown in Table 2.
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Table 1: Hotel Classification within the EAC
Classified Hotels 5 Star
4 Star
3 Star
2 Star
1 Star
Total
Kenya
3
15
20
21
2
61
Rwanda
5
15
32
17
1
70
Uganda
3
5
8
10
-
26
Tanzania
-
-
-
-
-
83
Burundi
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total
260
Source: Uganda Hotel Owners Association (2016), Rwanda Development Board (2011 -2016) & Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority, (2015; 2016). Table 2: Percentage of Classified Hotels
Country
Classified Hotels
Total
% Classified
Burundi
None
370
0%
Kenya
61
189
32%
Rwanda
70
90
78%
Tanzania
83
125
66%
Uganda
26
63
41%
Source: Uganda Hotel Owners Association (2016), Rwanda Development Board (2011 -2016) & Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority, (2015; 2016). 4
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS • Regionally, the hospitality industry is on the rise; with Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Nairobi having 2,400, 1,436 and 4,800 rooms respectively. • This is supported with the entry of international brands such as Marriott, Radisson Blu, Best Western, Sarovar, Kempinski and Crowne Plaza. • However, the sector is faced with low quality of services; heightening the need for harmonization of standards across the region. • The pace of hotel classification within the region is extremely slow. • Besides, the percentage of hotels classified is not in tandem with hotel developments. • In this regard, EATP strongly feels that an alternative classification criterion should be pursued. Moreover, we urge partner states to avail up-to-date data on the status of their classification to help in decision- making. •
Additionally, EATP roots for the review of some partner states’ tourism policies especially Tanzania (Tourism Policy of 1999) and Burundi (National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Tourism of 2011) and align them with EAC’s treaties. This will help in harmonizing the coordination of common issues such as classification of hotel facilities.
• Besides, EATP recommends a study to determine the cause of slow pace of hotel classification and offer appropriate recommendations. PARTING SHOT Notwithstanding the challenges involved in carrying out hotel classification, EAC partner states are making significant progress. However, the slow progress of its implementation is a major concern. It is high time we have a new conversation on how to fast-track this process.
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EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM Kenya Tourism Federation – Secretariat| KWS Headquarters – Langata Road, P.O. Box 15013-00509, Nairobi| Tel: +254208001000/3/1| Mobile: +254724624538 Facebook: East Africa Tourism Platform| Twitter: @TourismEA| Skype: tourismea