Hotels to undergo classification, grading

GOVERNMENT plans to review classifying hotels in the country to ensure that they offer quality services, the National Assembly was informed.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ramo Makani, admitted that most hotels in the country offer services that are contrary to their classes or grades.

“Most hotels need to improve services and the government plans to educate owners on the importance of offering better services that match with their classes or grades in order to improve tourism,” he said.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Special Seats MP, Ms Risala Kabongo (Chadema) who wanted the government to explain what it was doing to ensure hotels provide better services in accordance with their classes.

The legislator also wanted to know what the government was doing to boost tourism in the country. She blamed the government for failure to improve roads, hotels and airstrips in the main reserves of Ruaha, Kitulo, Udzungwa, Mikumi and Katavi, among others, which are key tourist attraction areas.

“These are key historic tourist attractions in the country but currently few tourists visit them,” she said. Mr Makani explained that through the Tanzania Resilient Natural Resources Management for Growth Project, the government plans to improve infrastructure in the reserve areas.

The six-year project is scheduled to begin in January next year under joint venture between the government and the World Bank. The US$ 100 million project will also help strengthen tourism activities as well as help neighbouring communities benefit from the natural resources.

“Under the project, we plan to establish tourist circuit in the southern part of the country so that tourists can visit more than one reserve area,” said the minister.