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| Tasota Chairman, Moustafa Khataw |
The
Tanzania Society of Travel Agents (Tasota) has said the denial of entry
of tour operators’ vehicles from other East African countries should
remain unchanged.
This follows complaints raised by three partner states on their
tour operators being denied entry into either country in a meeting of
the Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management held two years
ago.
Among issues raised were the denial of entry of tourist vehicles
registered in other partner states, harassment of driver guides at
border crossings into other state, disparities in fees charged, lack of
cross border cooperation in wildlife law enforcement, and lack of
cooperation and support in addressing multi-lateral environment
agreements.
Speaking to this paper in an email interview, Tasota Chairman
Moustafa Khataw said: I believe that denial of tour operators’ vehicles
from other countries should stand unchanged.
He said they have been able to create more opportunities for local Tanzanians and tour operators to benefit.
Already the community has convened a meeting in Arusha which
involve ministers responsible for tourism, wildlife and EAC Affairs from
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda to resolve issues impacting tour operations
in the three partner states.
The five-day meeting which ends tomorrow is expected to come with answers that would solve the long time crisis.
However, it was not easily established who are the key participants
of the meeting since some organisations were not invited to attend.
According to Khataw, Tasota as key player in the tourism industry
was not invited to the meeting. “I am not aware of this meeting because
we have not received any official invitation,” he said.
The Arusha meeting is discussing the said challenges and will also
deliberate on how to effectively involve other sectors to improve and
enhance cooperation in tourism and wildlife management sectors in line
with Articles 115 and 116 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the
East African Community.
It was reported late last year that Ugandan officials claimed that
Kenya and Tanzania are sabotaging free movement of tourists by retaining
disguised protectionist policies to protect their tour operators from
regional competition.
An official privy to the ministerial talks who did not wish to be
named said that while Uganda allows Kenyan registered vehicles with
tourists to cross the border and access tourist attraction sites Nairobi
does not reciprocate.
Similarly, Uganda does not levy work permit fees for Tanzania’s
tour operators entering the country to bring or pick tourists, but the
contrary is the case as Tanzania charges $100 work permit fee on Ugandan
tour operators.
Free entry of Tanzanian registered vehicles into Ugandan tourism
sites is also assured, but Uganda registered tourist vehicles have no
free access to tourism sites when they cross into Tanzania, the official
underlined.
He said that Tanzania only allows in tourists after they are
boarded into Tanzanian registered vehicles to access her tourist sites.
Tanzania for its part, wants a review of the tourism agreement cooperation that was signed with Kenya in June 1985.
A protocol reached after the Arusha Summit of November 16th, 1983
in its Article X (b) commits Tanzania and Kenya on the principle that
tourists should be transported in and out of each country through
designated border posts or regional towns.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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