Insecurity is seen as a threat to tourism in the country,
the sector with huge potential as the leading employer and foreign exchange
earner.
This is because tourism, unlike mining, is not a primary
export item but a final good where all value addition have been done.
"This means that the value added in final stages of production is done in
Tanzania," the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) Executive
Secretary, Mr Mustapha Akunaay, said.
Going by the 2009 statistics, the sector accounts for 17.5
per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and supports about 500,000 direct
employments and over 800,000 indirect. In South Africa every other tourist
arrival creates five jobs.
They argued that the tourism industry brought in 1.4 billion
US dollars (about 2.16tri/-) after arrival of 867,994 international tourists
during the year 2012, which made the sector the second in foreign exchange
revenue generation after gold.
"(However), there are many other countries with
appealing attractions competing for tourism dollars, so there is no room for
complacency," Mr Akunaay warned.
In that vein, insecurity and poor safety
for international travellers threaten the industry amid absence of the common
law and regulations guiding the sector.
The stakeholders, who met in Dar es Salaam, last week, were
told if a tourist is hurt it takes a considerable time to clear the bad label.
TATO raised fear and urged the government to take a deliberate step to protect
foreigners and tourists to boost the travellers' inflow because the sector is
currently faced with undeniable challenge of security and safety.
"To repair the damage takes ages,(because) without
security even best marketing efforts will fail," Mr Akunaay told about 50
stakeholders gathered to put final touches on new tourism policy and law. The
new policy geared to support creation of special judicial system for cases
relating to international travellers and separate police unit for tourists and
diplomats.
TATO conducted two studies financed by BEST-AC on the
'impact of Crime on Tourism in Tanzania' and Review of Legal Framework on
Safety and Security for Tourism in Tanzania 2012.
The findings proposed two
actions: review of the laws, policies and regulations pertaining to security
system and introducing special police unit to cater for special groups -- like
diplomats, foreigners, tourists or travellers.
"Safety and securities are vital to providing quality
tourism and in tandem to this, the government should address the two
recommendations, TATO Chairman Mr Leopold Kabendera told the forum.
He said
though there are no supporting data, tourism is creating many employment, for
instance for every other tourist arrival in South Africa five jobs are created.
"I think the situation is close to Tanzania as
well," the Chairman said.
The government, on the other hand, has already
heeded the introduction of the special police unit for tourists, late last year
and 60 police are under the department but financial resources remain a key
challenge issue.
"At the moment a 60-member police team patrol the
streets on foot, in a move which defeated the unit's required goal... on top of
that we are looking for 80m/- for an orientation course for another 240 in the
next budget," the Unit Commander, ACP Mr Benedict Kitalika, said.
He said the squad lacks proper gear to institute the
required safety and security for its personnel. So far the unit has prepared
special uniforms for the unit that are easily identified. The police are pulled
from the current workforce but are given an orientation training on how to
handle the tourists.
Source: The Daily News, www.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Abduel Elinaza in Dar es Salaam
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