Hotel ratings process simplified

The Tourism Ministry has simplified the process of classifying hotels in the form of star ratings, doing away with the requirement of a series of approvals for it.

The hotels, while applying for ratings with the Ministry, will now have to only show that they have obtained the trade licence. They, however, will have to submit an affidavit on the status of other approvals they are required to obtain for running their hotels.

An announcement in this regard was made by Tourism and Culture Minister Shripad Yesso Naik after the conclusion of his day-long meeting with the state tourism ministers here on Thursday. “We have simplified the Hotel Approval and Classification guidelines.

Till now, we were insisting on a series of approvals and documents from the applicants. This will now be done away with and only the presentation of the Trade Licence would suffice for classifying hotels in the form of star ratings,” the minister said.

The minister also said that the proposed e-visa system for foreign tourists will be rolled out shortly. “We are trying to make it operational by October,” he said.