One-stop shop for touristic licensing

Ministry of Tourism reaches out to private sector

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has inaugurated the first one-stop shop to process licensing requests from private developers of touristic facilities. Initiated in collaboration with the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, the office is located within the Ministry and will be fully operational as of early 2013.

The office was listed on the MoT’s 2010 business plan, and was funded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The one-stop shop will facilitate and simplify administrative processes within the MoT, in order to stimulate investment in one of the country’s most vital sectors.

Entrepreneurs and sites owners will be able to present all their official documentation at this single office, instead of being referred to different offices at every step of the application.

Paul Ariss, head of the Syndicate of Restaurants Owners said that this initiative was long overdue. “It is a positive step and will have a good impact on the Tourism sector.”

Minister of Tourism Fadi Abboud said: “The MoT is effectively working to evolve from an administrative function to a development planner in collaboration with the private sector.”

The one-stop shop will reduce the paperwork and time of each application. “It is an important step towards the future automation and digitalization of the Ministry’s workflow. Once implemented, it will gradually lead to e-government,” Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish said.