On 8 April 2025, Malawi’s Parliament passed the Malawi Tourism Bill 2025 (Bill No. 20 of 2025)—a landmark piece of legislation set to transform the country’s tourism landscape. Officially signed into law by President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and announced on 2 July 2025, the new Act introduces a modern legal framework aimed at regulating and elevating the tourism industry. From establishing the Malawi Tourism Authority to creating a dedicated Malawi College of Tourism, the Act lays the foundation for structured growth, professional standards, and improved oversight in the sector.
Improvements in the new Malawi Tourism Act 2025
The new Act introduces several significant improvements and modernisations over the older Tourism and Hotels Act, 1968. It aims to create a more robust and sustainable tourism sector in Malawi.
Elevation of the Regulatory Body
The 1968 Act established a Tourism and Hotels Board responsible for controlling and regulating the tourism industry, including the granting and classification of licenses. The 2025 Act establishes the Malawi Tourism Authority, explicitly stating its purpose is to elevate the Tourism and Hotels Board to a regulatory authority to enhance the regulatory mandate of the body. The Authority is charged with regulating the tourism industry and marketing Malawi internationally and locally.
Expanded Scope of Licensing
The new law empowers the Malawi Tourism Authority to oversee licensing, registration, and compliance for a wider range of tourism-related enterprises and practitioners than the old Act. This signals a shift toward a more inclusive and flexible regulatory framework that can adapt to the evolving needs of the tourism sector.
Establishment of a Tourism College
The Malawi Tourism Act 2025 provides for the establishment of the Malawi College of Tourism. This college is designated as the Government’s main tourism professional training institution, responsible for tourism, travel, and hospitality training. It will also be responsible for capacity building for the tourism sector.
Tourism Development and Marketing Fund
The new Tourism Act establishes a Tourism Development and Marketing Fund whose objective is to support the promotion and development of tourism in Malawi. It will be funded by parliamentary appropriations, levies, concession fees, and grants, among other sources.
Enhanced Enforcement and Disciplinary Mechanisms
While the 1968 Act provided for the Board to cancel or suspend licenses and for court orders regarding forfeiture and disqualification, it did not detail a specific disciplinary body. The 2025 Tourism Act establishes a dedicated Disciplinary Committee to receive and investigate complaints, conduct hearings, and make recommendations regarding the discipline of tourism practitioners and the sanctioning of tourism enterprises or establishments. This committee can impose warnings, suspensions and monetary penalties, among others
Focus on Professional Ethics and Standards
The Malawi Tourism Act explicitly mandates the Authority to promote the highest standards of professional ethics and business conduct of tourism practitioners. Furthermore, the Authority will prescribe a code of ethics and standards for tourism establishments, tourism enterprises, and tourism practitioners.
Increased and Specific Penalties for Offences
The new Act introduces significantly higher and more detailed penalties for various offences than the old Act. False or misleading statements in applications, false rating, aggravated pollution and failure to remit levies could result in fines between K10m and K50m or imprisonment.
Mandatory Data Collection through Returns
Tourism enterprises and establishments are required to furnish monthly returns to the Authority. These returns include crucial data such as the breakdown of guests, country of residence, total expenditure in foreign and local currency, and employment figures. It is envisaged that this data will help the Authority monitor and plan for the sector’s performance.
Tourism minister hails new Tourism Act
In her speech to a Tourism Stakeholder Engagement Cocktail in Blantyre and seen on her Facebook profile, the Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule, hailed the new Malawi Tourism Act. She lamented the days when her ministry wore too many hats – policy maker, regulator, enforcer and marketer – which resulted in inefficiencies.
“No longer is the Ministry expected to juggle everything. With the establishment of the Malawi Tourism Authority, we now have a specialised, dedicated body to oversee regulation, destination development, and global marketing — all under one professional roof,” said Kamtukule.
The minister also hailed the creation of the Tourism Development and Marketing Fund as a mechanism that will allow Malawi to compete on the global stage through enhanced destination marketing. She called on investors to take up the various eco-tourism, cultural tourism, agri-tourism, and lakeshore development projects in the Malawi Tourism Development Master Plan.
A New Chapter for Malawi’s Tourism Sector
In essence, the Malawi Tourism Act 2025 broadens the scope of regulation from primarily hotels to the entire tourism industry. It establishes dedicated institutions for training and development, implements more robust enforcement and disciplinary procedures. The Act significantly increases penalties to ensure compliance and promote a high standard of tourism services in Malawi.
