The government has withdrawn a bill proposed to better regulate travel agencies and tour operators.
Announcing the withdrawal at yesterday's sitting of Parliament, Speaker Mohamed Aslam said the bill's sponsor Mathiveri MP Hassan Zareer decided to withdraw the bill in accordance with the process in Parliament's rules.
The first reading of the bill took place on March 12 and Zareer informed Parliament of the withdrawal of March 18.
The first reading to introduce the bill to Parliament took place on Tuesday last week. No work on the bill was done since then until it was withdrawn.
The reason for the withdrawal remains unclear as Zareer was not responding to phone calls. According to some media reports, it was withdrawn because the government wanted to make some amendments.
The travel agency bill is a pledge included in the government's first 100-day roadmap that the President's Office marked as 100 percent fulfilled.
The travel agency bill included criteria for licensing travel agencies and tour operators. It also proposed restricting foreign operators from working in the country without a local partner.
