President Droupadi Murmu approves tourism regulations for Lakshadweep
President Droupadi Murmu
The regulations introduces a broad protection framework for consumers, requiring service providers to publicly display tariffs, cancellation policies, registration numbers, and emergency contacts at their premises and on digital listings.
President Droupadi Murmu promulgated tourism regulations for Lakshadweep, mandating official registration for service providers, strict safety protocols, and severe penalties for any damage to the fragile marine ecosystems. The Lakshadweep Tourism Trade (Registration, Safety and Facilitation) Regulation, 2026, will apply to all commercial lodging, water sports, tour guides, travel agents, digital booking platforms, and tourism vessels operating in the Union Territory.
The regulations published in the Gazette impose a complete ban on tourism trade in the UK unless registered or exempted under the new rules, but give existing operators a six-month transition period from the commencement of the rules to apply for registration or category endorsements.
Designated authorities have a strict timeline to dispose of applications, ranging from within 45 days for low-risk categories to 60 days for high-risk categories; tourism vessels, including live-aboard vessels, yachts, and any other category of vessel as may be notified, the regulation said. If officials fail to meet these deadlines, applications will be deemed accepted, though high-risk operators must still submit mandatory safety certifications and insurance documentation before commencing operations, it said.
"Regulation to provide for the registration, facilitation and regulation of persons engaged in tourism trade in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep; to ensure safety of tourists, quality of tourism services, transparency in charges, responsible and sustainable use of fragile island and marine ecosystems and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto," it said.
"Nothing contained in this Regulation shall be construed as authorising any tourism activity in any area where such activity is prohibited or restricted under any law, notification, order, coastal zone regulation, environmental clearance, forest or wildlife law, maritime law, security instruction, permit regime or local restriction for the time being in force," it said.
The regulations said to introduce a broad protection framework for consumers, requiring service providers to publicly display tariffs, cancellation policies, registration numbers, and emergency contacts at their premises and on digital listings. The rules strictly ban third-party digital platforms from listing or booking unregistered operators.
"No digital platform shall list, market, book or facilitate any accommodation unit, travel agent, tour operator, guide, adventure activity, scuba diving centre, tourism vessel, beach amenity, wellness tourism service or other notified tourism service unless such service provider is registered or exempted under this Regulation," it said.
Travel agents and tour guides are prohibited from soliciting undisclosed tips or commissions from tourists. The regulation prohibits littering, dumping waste, anchoring on coral reefs, or collecting protected marine species, with penalties ranging from INR 50,000 for low-risk violations to INR 5 lakh, if an unregistered operation causes environmental damage, such as damaging coral reefs or is found operating in a prohibited zone.
"Any adventure tourism operator, scuba diving centre, scuba professional, tourism vessel operator, live-aboard or yacht operator or related person who violates safety standards, operates without required safety equipment, uses unqualified personnel, exceeds seating capacity, operates in prohibited area, ignores weather or sea warnings, fails to maintain insurance or fails to report an incident shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to INR 5 lakhs," regulations said.
(Source - PTI)
