Tourism regulator ties hotel grading to safety drills

Tourism Regulatory Authority Director General Norbert Talam addresses stakeholders during the security and safety program roll out. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Tourism industry players are facing scrutiny as the regulator rolls out mandatory threat-response training ahead of a national facility classification exercise that will formally grade hotels, resorts and tour operators across the country.

The Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) is running the sensitisation workshops backed by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), the Bomb Disposal Unit, the Tourist Police Unit and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), before it grades facilities, effectively making security preparedness a condition of classification.

TRA Director General Norbert Talam stopped short of spelling out consequences for non-compliant operators but left little room for ambiguity.

"Stakeholders must continuously enhance their preparedness and responsiveness to emerging threats," said Talam in a statement on Thursday.

"Safety and security are fundamental to the success of the tourism sector, as they build confidence among both local and international tourists," he added.

A second training phase targeting tour driver-guides, tour operators and travel agencies is planned, suggesting the classification sweep will be broad.

Kibet Tembur, General Manager of Starling Bird Resort, urged the authority to run the sessions more frequently, noting that industry players had significant ground to cover before meeting the expected standards.

The classification exercise, once complete, will produce formal ratings for tourism facilities nationwide, ratings that directly influence bookings, insurance terms and investor confidence.

Under regulations gazetted in December 2025, no licensing authority may issue a business permit to a tourism enterprise unless the operator holds a valid TRA licence, a provision that ties classification compliance directly to the legal right to operate.

The last classification exercise was carried out in 2018.