 |
| Uhuru Monument in Arusha |
Press release
The 17 to 20 February 2014 meeting was held
to discuss among others, Partner States denying entry of tourist
vehicles registered in other Partner States; harassment of driver guides
at the border crossings; disparities in fees charged; cross border
cooperation in wildlife law enforcement; and cooperation and support in
addressing multi-lateral environment agreements.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for East
African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, who is also a Chairperson of EAC
Council of Ministers, Hon. Phyllis Kandie, commended the readiness of
the three Partner States to meet and discuss the challenges in the
tourism sector. She reiterated the commitment of the Republic of Kenya
towards the EAC integration agenda.
Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism of
the United Republic of Tanzania commended the Republics of Uganda and
Kenya for working with the United Republic of Tanzania to resolve the
issues persisting in the tourism and wildlife sectors. He noted that by
resolving these challenges, Partner States would improve the standard of
living for the people in the Region.
Hon. Nyalandu urged Partner States to set and honour timelines agreed
upon during the deliberations and encouraged Partner States to work
jointly to implement the decisions.
The Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of the
Republic of Uganda, Hon. Egunyu Akiror Agnes expressed gratitude that
the meeting was finally considering issues that had been outstanding in
the sector since 2010. She reiterated the commitment of the Republic of
Uganda in supporting the integration agenda.
On her part, the Deputy Secretary General in charge Productive and
Social Sector, Hon. Jesca Eriyo stated that "as three founding Partner
States of the EAC, you share a rich history that should encourage us
rather than hinder our progress towards integration". Some of the
recommendations made at the meeting are:
Treatment of Tourist Driver Guides:
In regard to the treatment of Tourist Driver Guides at the border
crossings, the Ministers urged the Partner States to sensitize law
enforcement officials and the public on appropriate conduct when
interacting so as to reduce incidences that may frustrate the operations
of the tourism sector. They also urged Partner States to build the
capacity of tour operators to appreciate the importance of security
while operating in the region to reduce misunderstandings between the
two sectors. They also urged Partner States to engage the relevant
Ministries to work out the modalities to develop frameworks to ensure
smooth movement of the citizens of EAC Partner States across borders and
within is improved to enhance intra-regional tourism.
Accessibility of Tourist Vehicles to Tourist sites in Partner States and Work Permit Fees for Tour Operators:
In regard to this outstanding issues, the Ministers/Cabinet Secretary
noted that in the Republic of Kenya, the use of tourist vehicle sticker
were under review due to changes in the Tourism Act. The
Ministers/Cabinet Secretary urged Kenya to officially communicate the
new changes in the regulations to all Partner States by 20th March,
2014.
And for the work permits, the Ministers/Cabinet Secretary noted that
the United Republic of Tanzania (URT) had officially abolished the
Carrying on Temporary Assignment Pass (CTA). They urged URT to
officially communicate on this matter to Partner States by 20th March,
2014. Prior to July 2013, every non-citizen (including citizens of other
Partner States) entering URT for the purpose of engaging in any lawful
and gainful activities were subjected to pay a fee of US$200 for a CTA.
The United Republic of Tanzania reported to the meeting that from July
2013 a directive was circulated to Immigration Officials at all entry
points not to charge a fee of US$200 for a CTA to citizens of the other
Partner States.
Entry of Kenyan and Ugandan Registered Tourist Vehicles into the United Republic of Tanzania Tourist Sites:
The Ministers/Cabinet Secretary reiterated their commitment to
promote cooperation in the tourism sector with a focus on regional
integration. In this regard, they agreed to engage in bilateral
arrangements by reviewing or developing agreements. In this regard, the
Ministers urged the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of
Tanzania to continue with the existing bi-lateral agreement on
cooperation in tourism and also urged the two Partner States to meet
bi-laterally to review the bi-lateral agreement on cooperation in
tourism within six months.
They urged the Republic of Uganda to develop bi-lateral agreements
for cooperation in tourism with the other Partner States. The
Ministers/Cabinet Secretary also urged the Republic of Rwanda and
Republic of Burundi to develop bi-lateral agreements for cooperation in
tourism with the other Partner States.
The Ministers directed the Secretariat to coordinate the development
of Regional Guidelines to manage tour operations in the EAC by July,
2014. The Secretariat was also urged to convene a regional meeting of
the five Partner States involving Tour Operators Associations, Tour
Guides, Wildlife Agencies, Tourist Boards, Security/Immigration, EATP
and other stakeholders to consider the draft Regional Guidelines to
manage tour operations by August, 2014.
The Ministers/Cabinet Secretary urged the Partner States to make
additional commitments on the elimination of restrictions on the
services in the Tourism sector; and as well as to expedite the
liberalization of more services in the sector.
Consideration of the treatment of citizens:
The Ministers/Cabinet Secretary urged Partner States to sensitize the
investors of privately owned tourist facilities to apply EAC rates; and
also urged Partner States to amend current legislations to ensure that
privately owned vehicles belonging to citizens of the EAC Partner States
are accorded local treatment while visiting tourist sites.
Cooperation in conservation of Flora and Fauna:
The Ministers/Cabinet Secretary; urged Partner States to jointly
consider regional cooperation in conservation of fauna and flora; urged
Partner States to expedite the review of existing legislation to ensure
that the Region's endangered wildlife resources are protected by
December 2014; and included the cross border efforts in the Regional
strategy to fight poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife, wildlife
and forest products for consideration by the Sectoral Council Tourism
and Wildlife Management.
The Ministers/Cabinet Secretary's recommendations will be submitted
to the EAC Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management for
further management.
Ends
Owora Richard Othieno,
Head of Department;
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Tel: +255 784 835021;
Email:
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania
http://www.eac.int
0 comments:
Post a Comment