Stakeholders have said the operationalisation of the Malawi Tourism Authority (MTA) will boost investment and standards to foster growth of the tourism sector whose potential is currently underutilised.
This comes at a time government says it has almost completed the process of operationalising the authority to make sure the sector is well-regulated and attracts private sector investment.
Speaking on the sidelines of the stakeholders’ visit of the Sunbird Tourism plc Lilongwe expansion project recently, Ministry of Industrialisation, Business Trade and Tourism principal secretary Wiskes Nkombezi said the authority will help in reshaping tourism sector.
Nkombezi said: “Through the Authority we have streamlined the regulations, making sure issues like inspections, licensing, hotel star-grading and all those things are done faster and more efficiently.”
According to Nkombezi, the coming of the authority will ensure efficiency by supporting the sector with proper and modern regulation to attract investment and increase its contribution to the economy.
“Other countries like South Africa and Kenya, have seen progress in the tourism sector because they leveraged the participation of the private sector.
“So, we think that kind of paradigm shift will help Malawi to move forward quickly and one of the key sectors we are targeting is tourism,” Nkombezi said.
This comes at a time the June 2026 World Bank Malawi Country Private Sector Diagnostic data shows that despite tourism’s potential as a source of foreign exchange, 95 percent of tourism revenue in 2024 came from domestic travellers, compared to 78 percent in South Africa and 47 percent in Rwanda.
The World Bank said the absence of a concession system is discouraging private investment in tourism while the current licensing regime is failing to support quality development.
“The licensing regime does not promote high-quality sites and instead facilitates overdevelopment,” reads the report in part.
In an interview, Sunbird Tourism plc chief executive officer Samson Mwale described the coming of MTA as a milestone that will help aligning the industry players’ focus and government priorities in the sector.
Mwale said: “That is a very welcome development. In terms of focus, it will be much better. We know that they are still setting up.
“We are yet to have alignment in terms of what we expect from them and what they have planned for us. But we are really looking forward to welcoming them.”
Malawi Tourism Council executive director Memory Kamthunzi earlier said the council has high expectations because the law will separate the duties of the Ministry hence bringing the needed efficiency.
“Marketing, licensing and grading will go to the Tourism Authority and the ministry will just be left with the policy,” she said.
The establishment of the MTA follows the enactment of the Malawi Tourism Act 2025, which replaced the Tourism and Hotels Act of 1968.
The new law is overseeing standards, tourism product development, collection of the tourism fund and managing the tourism fund.
