-Orders Further Consultations
Monrovia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has ordered an immediate hold on the newly released Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA) license fees, directing that implementation be paused pending further stakeholder consultations.
The directive was issued Thursday during a regular Cabinet meeting at the Executive Mansion.
The suspended fee schedule released days ago and signed by LNTA Director General Princess E. Cooper and Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, outlines annual license fees across a wide range of tourism and creative sectors.
According to the documents, the proposed fees range from as low as US$25 for solo artists to as high as US$2,000 for five-star hotels and casinos, international airlines, and major entertainment awards. Other categories include hotels, beaches, nightclubs, eateries, airlines and travel agencies, visitor attractions, cultural entities, artistic unions, cosmetic and fashion businesses, content creators, studios, galleries, and creative vendors.
The fee structure also distinguishes between Liberian-owned and foreign-owned travel agencies, with the latter proposed at US$500 and the former at US$200.
President Boakai’s suspension effectively halts the implementation of the fees, which were set to take effect under the LNTA’s one-year licensing validity period. The administration has not provided a timeline for the conclusion of the consultations but emphasized the need for broader input from industry stakeholders before any fees are enforced.
