Starting a tourism business in Suriname: licences, market and safety

A hotel, guesthouse, travel agency or tour operator needs an EZOTI licence on top of KKF registration; a restaurant or bar needs a licence from the district commissioner; and anyone running boats needs MAS skipper's licences and inspections. The market is growing: in 2024, 261,543 non-residents entered the country, almost 6 in 10 from Europe. The Tourism Framework Act (2023) requires you to inform visitors in writing about your offer, your terms and your insurance.

On this page (18)

• The market in figures
• Which licence for which business
• Who does what in tourism
• What the Tourism Framework Act requires
• Standards, classification and Safe Guide
• Safety on the water and in the forest
• Insurance
• A lodge in the interior: land and communities
• Prices, currency and payments
• Online booking and marketing
• Sustainable and community-based
• Policy 2025 and 2026: working group, STA and Canawaima
• Financing and support
• Risks and what to do about them
• Step by step
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

The market in figures

The statistics bureau ABS no longer counts "tourists" separately, but it does count all non-residents entering the country. That is the best measure of your market. According to the government, 80 to 90% of tourists come for nature and the interior, and tourism contributes about 6.8% of GDP (August 2025).

Entry point	Non-residents 2024	What it tells you
J.A. Pengel Airport	184,096 (70.4%)	Mainly the Netherlands, also the US, Brazil and the Caribbean
South Drain, Nickerie	38,307 (14.6%)	Guyana via the Canawaima ferry; strong growth since 2022
Albina	33,151 (12.7%)	French Guiana; fastest growing
Zorg en Hoop	5,036 (1.9%)	Small regional flights

By origin: Europe 58.7%, South America 19.7%, the Caribbean 8.6%, North and Central America 5.2%, rest of the world 7.8%. At the airport, international passenger traffic grew another 6% in 2025 to 519,171 travellers.

Seasons

July, August and December are the busiest months, driven by Dutch school holidays and the festive season. January, February and June are quiet. The rainy seasons (May to August and December to February) make some interior routes harder. Plan staff, maintenance and promotions around this.

Target groups

• Netherlands and Belgium: the largest market, with strong ties through the diaspora. TCT and the private sector attend the Vakantiebeurs travel fair in Utrecht every year.
• French Guiana: short trips, weekends, shopping and nature. The EUR 50 per person entry fee adds up for families, and business and government name the visa procedure for this group as a bottleneck.
• Guyana: business and family visits via Nickerie; growing with the oil economy on both sides.
• North America and Brazil: smaller, but with direct flights via Belém, Panama and Miami (via Georgetown).
• Business travellers: oil, gas and mining bring consultants and contractors who need accommodation, transport and catering. The government calls it "Tourism before Oil": using that demand for local businesses.
• Cruise: the port authority Havenbeheer is working on cruise tourism, but it is still an emerging market. Do not count on it in your first years.

More on market research: Market research. Opportunities by sector: Sectors and opportunities.

Which licence for which business

First register your business with the KKF (Start a business). After that it depends on what you do. The procedure, costs and fines are in Business licences; below is the overview for tourism.

Activity	Licence or requirement	Who
Hotel, motel, guesthouse	Business licence, with requirements on capital, business knowledge and competence (S.B. 1992 nos. 30 and 33)	EZOTI via KKF
Boarding house, apartment complex	Business licence	EZOTI via KKF
Travel agency, tour operator	Business licence; for tour operators the decree S.B. 1992 no. 34	EZOTI via KKF
Restaurant, bar, catering at your lodge	Liquor licence, health certificates for staff, fire service advice	District commissioner, BOG, fire service
Boat trips	Skipper's licence for each skipper, certificate of seaworthiness for each boat, yearly inspection	Maritime Authority Suriname (MAS)
Group bus transport	Bus service licence	Ministry of TCT
Building a lodge or hotel	Building permit, nuisance permit where needed, environmental assessment for larger projects	Public Works (OWRO), district commissioner, National Environmental Authority
Jetty or event on the water	Prior permission	MAS

Environmental rules for building and operating: Environmental rules for business. Staff with a foreign nationality: Work and residence permits.

Who does what in tourism

• Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism (TCT), Tourism directorate: policy, promotion at trade fairs and the official site suriname.travel. TCT launched the Safe Guide platform in October 2026.
• Suriname Tourism Authority (STA): set up by law in 2023 (S.B. 2023 no. 87) as regulator for standards, classification, certification, quality marks, statistics and promotion. The government wanted it operational in 2026; the presidential working group again called for it to be made operational in March 2026.
• Suriname Tourism Foundation (STS): founded in 1996 by TCT and the KKF. The government withdrew on 17 May 2018; since then it has been a private foundation. The STA is a new body, not a continuation of the STS.
• SHATA (Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Association): the private trade association for hotels, restaurants, tour operators and lodges. Advocacy, joint marketing, market information and training. Keizerstraat 16, Paramaribo, +597 710 0823; join via the form on shata.sr.
• SHTTC (Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre): vocational training, also in the interior.
• Suriname Standards Bureau (SSB): the standards for accommodation and guides.
• MAS: safety on the water. EZOTI: business licences. District commissioners: hospitality and local matters.

Overview of business associations: Business associations.

What the Tourism Framework Act requires

The Tourism Framework Act (S.B. 2023 no. 88) has applied since 2023. Part of it applies directly, part waits for implementing decrees.

• Duty to inform (art. 5): you give visitors written information about the transport, accommodation and activities you offer, and you disclose your terms and conditions and insurance in writing, including what happens on compensation. A clear page on your website plus a confirmation email is the practical way to do it.
• Standards: you comply with the standards and guidelines that are set. If you do not, you can lose your certification or quality mark.
• Environment and communities (art. 6): respect the carrying capacity of a destination, biodiversity, natural heritage and the rights of Indigenous and tribal peoples. The development plan must respect the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
• Levies in preparation: the laws mention a 2% Tourism Development Fee and a 2% "room fee" per night in commercial accommodation. They are only charged once a state decree sets the rules. We found no published decree as of October 2026; still allow for them in your pricing for the coming years.

Standards, classification and Safe Guide

In December 2025 two Suriname Standards Bureau standards became technical regulations: SSB 020:2020 for tourist accommodation (published as S.B. 2026 no. 4) and SSB 011:2019 for tourist guides. They become mandatory after a two-year transition, so around the end of 2027. For accommodation they include, among other things, a minimum bedroom size of 20 m². If you build now, design to the standard from the start. More on standards and certification: Standards and certification.

By law, an official classification system with stars or quality marks belongs to the STA. As long as it is not working, there is no national star rating. International booking sites and reviews fill that gap.

Safe Guide (safe-guide.sr, since 14 October 2026) has a separate area for tourism businesses, with safety protocols for accommodation, transport and activities. You state how far you comply; after review by TCT you are listed and can create your own QR code that takes visitors to your business page. Free visibility and a good checklist for your own safety policy.

Safety on the water and in the forest

River trips are the heart of Surinamese tourism and its biggest risk. MAS is harbour master for all of Suriname and in 2025 enlisted district commissioners and local officials to supervise, together with the police and the army.

• A skipper's licence for every skipper, including jet ski riders, to be shown on request. MAS and the Logistics Education Foundation run training.
• A certificate of seaworthiness for every boat, including small craft; yearly inspection.
• Enough life jackets and life buoys on board, paddles in case the engine fails, and an anchor.
• An accurate passenger list for every trip, so it is known who was on board after an accident.
• MAS permission for a jetty above a certain size and for events on the water.

On land the general safety regulations apply, including first aid (Safety Regulation no. 3), and you must insure your employees against accidents. For interior trips: a first-aid kit and trained guide, a means of communication that works without mobile coverage, an evacuation plan and fixed rules on weather and water levels. Employer duties: Workplace safety.

Flying guests to the interior? All Surinamese airlines are on the EU Air Safety List. Tell European clients and tour operators beforehand; some travel companies have a policy on it.

Insurance

The law requires you to disclose your insurance to customers in writing. Which policies you need depends on your business:

• Employee accident insurance: compulsory by law from the first working day.
• Liability for harm to guests, also during excursions and on the water.
• Buildings and contents, covering fire, storm and flooding.
• Boats and vehicles, including passengers.
• Ask guests to take out their own travel insurance with evacuation and put that in your terms.

How to choose a policy and what Surinamese insurers offer: Business insurance.

A lodge in the interior: land and communities

The interior (mainly Sipaliwini, Brokopondo and parts of Para and Marowijne) draws most tourists, but land is hardest to arrange there.

• State land: land is usually owned by the State. You get an individual right through a land lease from the government; see Buying land and property.
• Collective rights: Indigenous and tribal communities have traditional living areas, but their collective land rights are not recognised in law. In 2026 there was a Living Areas Protection Act that bans new concessions within 5 kilometres of village centres; the Association of Indigenous Village Leaders asked in August 2026 for it not to be promulgated because it is too limited. Follow the status at New laws and rules.
• Traditional authority: consult the captain or granman and the village before you invest. Put agreements in writing: location, duration, what the village receives (jobs, purchasing, a fee per guest), use of rivers and trails, and how disputes are settled. This fits the FPIC principle in the Tourism Framework Act.
• Protected areas: activities in nature reserves and multiple use management areas (MUMAs) fall under the Nature Conservation Act; ask the nature management service for permission.
• Financing: lodge owners in Upper Suriname told the presidential working group in January 2026 that without legal land documents they cannot get loans. Count on own funds or investors.

Prices, currency and payments

• Currency: many tourism businesses price in USD or EUR for foreign guests, because their costs (fuel, imports) move with it. For the local market the rules on SRD price display apply: Price rules for shops.
• VAT: the standard rate is 10%. State whether prices include VAT: VAT in Suriname.
• Online payment: foreign guests want to pay by card in advance. How to set that up with a Surinamese bank or an international payment service: Accepting payments.
• Deposit and cancellation: put in your terms how much you ask up front, what is refunded on cancellation and what happens with high water or cancelled flights.
• Cost price: work out fuel, boat, guide, food, village fee and margin per person with Price and markup and Break-even calculator. Fuel per trip: Trip and delivery cost.

Online booking and marketing

• Your own website with availability, prices, terms and insurance (the law requires the last two), plus a WhatsApp button: WhatsApp link generator.
• Booking platforms for accommodation and excursions bring foreign guests, at a commission. Keep prices consistent across channels.
• Google Business Profile and reviews: the first impression for many visitors. Reply to every review.
• Tour operators in the Netherlands and Belgium: reach them at the Vakantiebeurs fair in Utrecht, where TCT attends every year with SHATA and companies. TCT also goes to fairs in French Guiana, the US and Berlin.
• Local and business market: oil, gas and mining firms need accommodation and transport; list your business in Business directory (Add your business).
• Privacy: if you handle data of European guests, the EU GDPR applies to you too: EU rules for Surinamese suppliers.

Sustainable and community-based

In the annual address of 30 September 2026 the government chose "high-value, low-impact" tourism: visitors who stay longer, spend more locally and value nature and culture. On the agenda for 2027: getting hotels, lodges and tour operators to buy more from Surinamese producers, community-based tourism so communities benefit directly, better links with vocational training, and aligning tourism and nature conservation laws.

• Buy food, transport and crafts locally and keep track of how much.
• Hire people from the area and have them trained (see below).
• Separate waste and take it back out of the interior; avoid single-use plastic with refill water stations.
• Limit group size at fragile sites.
• Solar power for lodges without a grid connection.

More: Sustainable business.

Policy 2025 and 2026: working group, STA and Canawaima

• Presidential Tourism Development Working Group: installed for six months by President Simons on 28 October 2025, chaired by Rachel Pinas, made up mainly of business representatives (including SHATA and the VSB employers' association) and TCT. Bottlenecks named: high air fares, the visa procedure from French Guiana, a non-functioning STA, and management of places such as the Waterkant. In March 2026 the group presented its analysis: the STA must become operational, tax incentives should be examined. The president also asked the group to advise on a tourism school.
• Targets: back to 500,000 visitors within three years and tourism's share of GDP from 6.8% to 10% (August 2025).
• Canawaima ferry (Nickerie to Guyana): in May 2026 the working group discussed modernisation and an online booking system. On 22 August 2026 MAS imposed an immediate sailing ban over shortcomings in fire safety, evacuation, radar and engines; service resumed on 28 August. According to an independent inspector the ferry can technically operate until 2027; the government is looking at a new vessel. Businesses in the west should allow for disruptions.
• Tourism First: the "Tourism before Oil" programme aims to channel extra demand for accommodation, transport and food around the oil industry to Surinamese businesses. A Tourism Satellite Account is planned to measure tourism's real contribution.

Financing and support

• Bank credit needs collateral, and interest was around 14% in 2026. For interior lodges collateral is often the problem. Options and terms: Business financing.
• Programmes and grants: in 2024 the World Bank SCSD project had EZOTI and TCT carry out a tourism value chain analysis to support small businesses. Current schemes: Grants and support programmes.
• Free training: through the IDB "Labour Alignment with New Industries" project of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour, SHTTC trains kitchen assistants and other staff free of charge, including in Sipaliwini (September 2026). More: Staff training and internships.
• Investment incentives for larger projects: Investing in Suriname.
• Business plan: banks and investors ask for one. Use Business plan template and Writing a business plan.

Risks and what to do about them

Risk	What to do
Low season (January, February, June)	Serve the local and business market, schedule maintenance, build reserves in high season
Expensive, changing flights	Packages with flexible dates, partner with tour operators that buy seat allocations
Accident on the water	MAS licence and certificate, life jackets worn, passenger list, evacuation plan, liability insurance
Land conflict in the interior	Written agreements with the traditional authority, fair sharing of revenue, local staff
Power and internet failures	Generator or solar, backup internet; see Power, water and internet
Exchange rate swings	Prices for foreign guests in USD or EUR, costs in the same currency where possible
New levies and standards	Room in your prices for the 2% levies; build to SSB 020:2020 now
Canawaima outages (west)	Alternative routes and cancellation terms for guests from Guyana

Step by step

1. Choose your product and market. Which guests, which season, what price? Visit competitors and talk to tour operators.
2. Secure the site. Land lease, purchase or rent; in the interior, consult the village first and agree in writing.
3. Write a business plan with cost per guest and a pessimistic scenario.
4. Register with the KKF and choose a legal form.
5. Apply for licences: EZOTI for accommodation or travel agency, district commissioner for food and drink, building permit, MAS for boats.
6. Build or renovate to SSB 020:2020 and get fire service advice.
7. Take out insurance and publish it, with your terms, on your website.
8. Hire and train staff: guides, licensed skippers, first aid, kitchen.
9. Register for VAT and with the tax office once your turnover requires it.
10. Go online: website, booking platforms, Google profile, Safe Guide, SHATA membership.

Opening checklist

• KKF extract and EZOTI or DC licence on display
• Written information, terms and conditions and insurance details for guests
• Skipper's licences, certificates and inspection records on board
• Life jackets in all sizes, first-aid kit, means of communication
• Passenger and guest lists
• Employee accident insurance, liability and buildings cover
• Health certificates for anyone handling food
• Waste plan and, in the interior, a written agreement with the village
• Invoicing and till system with VAT: Invoice generator

What if...

• ...I only sell excursions and have no boat of my own? Then you are a travel agency or tour operator and need an EZOTI licence. Check that your subcontractors have MAS licences and certificates; you inform the guest and your insurance must cover it.
• ...I let a few rooms through a booking site? Commercial letting of rooms or apartments to tourists can fall under the licensed categories (boarding house or apartment complex). Ask the KKF what applies to you.
• ...MAS rejects my boat? Stop sailing until the faults are fixed and the re-inspection is passed. Sailing without a valid certificate puts your liability and insurance at risk.
• ...the village wants to revise the agreement? Talk through the traditional authority and the district commissioner. A written agreement with a dispute clause stops it escalating. See Debt collection and disputes.
• ...the STA starts registration and quality marks after all? Then state decrees will set procedures and deadlines; the Tourism Framework Act earlier gave existing businesses a year to adapt. Follow New laws and rules and SHATA.

Business trip to Suriname · Business by district · Hiring staff · Business events · Business resources

Sources

• Toerisme Raamwet, S.B. 2023 no. 88
• Wet Suriname Toerisme Autoriteit, S.B. 2023 no. 87 (with explanatory memorandum on the STS)
• Technical regulation on tourist accommodation, S.B. 2026 no. 4
• ABS: Traffic and Transport Statistics 2021 to 2024 (February 2026)
• Airport Management: passenger statistics 2020 to 2025
• GOV.SR: Tourism Development Working Group installed (28 October 2025)
• GOV.SR: targets of 500,000 visitors and 10% of GDP (13 August 2025)
• GOV.SR: working group calls for an operational STA (18 March 2026)
• GOV.SR: working group and Upper Suriname lodge owners (27 January 2026)
• GOV.SR: Canawaima modernisation (24 May 2026)
• GOV.SR: Canawaima sailing ban and future (2 September 2026)
• GOV.SR: annual address on tourism (30 September 2026)
• GOV.SR: TCT launches Safe Guide (14 October 2026)
• GOV.SR: MAS and enforcement of shipping law (11 November 2025)
• GOV.SR: MAS on skipper licences, certificates and safety equipment (February 2025)
• GOV.SR: VIDS on the Living Areas Protection Act (31 August 2026)
• GOV.SR: free SHTTC training in Sipaliwini (September 2026)
• GOV.SR: tourism value chain project (October 2024)
• GOV.SR: TCT and private sector at the Vakantiebeurs (January 2025)
• SHATA: membership and contact
• Dutch government: travel advice Suriname, EU Air Safety List (October 2026)

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. The STA and the decrees under the tourism laws can change quickly; check the current position with TCT, the KKF and SHATA.