Arusha — Government officials from Kenya and Tanzania are meeting in
Arusha this week to find ways in sorting out the row over the ban of
Tanzanian tourist vehicles from accessing the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport in Nairobi.
Kenya imposed a ban last December in retaliation to Tanzania's
reluctance to give Kenyan tourist vans easier access to Tanzanian
national parks.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Tourism Dr. Adelhelm Meru said recently the talks would be bilateral and
take place in Arusha between March 18th and 20th.
The talks are expected to come out with a lasting solution to the
crisis which impacted badly on cooperation between the two competitors
in the regional tourism industry.
The meeting comes in the wake of the recent ITB travel fair hosted by
Germany during which the two countries' tourism ministers, Nyalandu and
Kenya's Phyllis Kandie apparently spoke informally on the matter.
Since December 22nd last year, Kenyan authorities slapped a ban on
vans carrying tourists from and to Tanzania from accessing its busy
international air transport hub in Nairobi on grounds that it was
implementing the 1985 agreement with Tanzania on tourism cooperation.
It is estimated that about 400,000 travellers to and from Tanzania
use JKIA each year to access various global destinations. These include
tourists heading to the northern national parks which largely attract
most visitors compared to other parts of the country.
The ministers' Berlin chat is being seen by many observers as a
positive sign towards easing the present frosty relations between
Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
There are hopes that a breakthrough can be accomplished quickly,
given that Tanzania has taken over the Chair of the East African
Community. The two Tanzanian ministers with their aides expected in
Arusha are Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe who chairs of the EAC Council of
Ministers and Nyalandu, who is the EAC Chair of the Sectoral Council on
Tourism and Wildlife Management.
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