The Department Tourism has further simplified the procedures for registration or renewal of Tourist Units through a Single Window clearance mechanism. This is aimed at further improving the Ease of Doing Business in Tourism sector.
Under the new guidelines which supersede previous Government Order No.229-TSM dated 02.06.2015, online /offline applications for registration / renewal / transfer of registration of Tourist Units under the Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1978 shall be submitted to the respective Directors of Tourism as per simplified check lists where self-certification of many documents by the applicant has been prescribed.
The Prescribed Authority shall conclude the registration or renewal process including issuance of certificate of registration within a period of one month from the date of receipt of the application.
To boost confidence of the tourism industry and the stake holders, a unique feature of incorporating validity period of renewal of registration has been ordered.
Under the new guidelines, renewal of Hotel/Guest House / Restaurant / Camp Hotel / Other Tourist Units operating continuously for the last twenty five years shall be for further period of fifteen years. The Hotel/Guest House / Restaurant / Camp Hotel / Other Tourist Units operating continuously for the last ten years will be renewed for further ten years. Those units operating continuously for the last five years will be renewed for further five years. Fresh cases of registration of Hotel/Guest House / Restaurant / Camp Hotel / Other Tourist Units will have a validity period of five years.
The renewal or fresh registration validity shall be subject to clearance from the Pollution Control Board and the J&K Fire Services Department, as per periodicity decided by these two authorities, failing which action including shutting down can be taken.
For facilitation of online submission of applications for registration of Tourist Units, the Director Tourism Kashmir and Jammu shall host and maintain a website of the Department. Tourism Department would also maintain a unified database of registered units of different categories for the benefit of all stake holders including tourists, it has been ordered.
To encourage setting up of Guest Houses with smaller capacity across the State, it has been prescribed that an entrepreneur may set up a Guest House with a minimum capacity of five rooms which means ten bed capacity.
