Tanzania Tour Operators Want Fees Reduced

Arusha — Tour operators under their umbrella body last week asked the government to reduce by 50% entrance fees and other charges for non-East African tourists.

This is in an effort to boost tourists numbers. Currently, Tanzania charges $50 daily per person for non-East African tourist, including motor vehicle entry fee.

Willy Chambulo, Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), speaking at the association's brief function to welcome the year 2015, said for more than the past 10 months, tourist numbers have gone down.

"As tour operators, we discovered two factors to be behind the decline of the number of tourists visiting the national parks. Ebola threats and sporadic terrorist attacks in Kenya's capital Nairobi and its coastal city of Mombasa," he said.

There are considerable numbers of tourists who enter Tanzania through Kenya. Most use Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

"Ebola, which hit the western African countries, also posed a serious threat to the country's tourism as some tourists were of the view that the disease has affected the entire African continent, something which is not true," Chambulo said.

He said the truth is East African nations including Tanzania were free from Ebola.

"We are asking the Tanzania government to reduce by half entrance fees and other government's taxes for tourists getting into the country and national parks," he said.

Other tour operators have been asking Tanzania to reduce airline landing fees at international airports, as another way to attract more airlines. By doing so, the country could atract more tourists.

Tanzania's Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, who also attended the event, assured tourists that Tanzania is one of the safest tourist destinations in Africa, hence there no need for them to fear about.

"Tanzania is taking the issue of safety to our visitors very seriously, that's why were encouraging more tourists to come and enjoy the natural beauty of this nation," he said.

He said no new fees will be introduced for tourists who want to view the country's attractions. In international tourism Tanzania is associated with being home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park.