Source; The Citizens Tuesday, 08 May 2012
Arusha. Collision of dates for major international events slated for Arusha from the end of the month has proved a headache for some organisers who fear they could lose financially for rescheduling the functions.
Already the annual Karibu Travel and Karibu Fair, which normally takes place in the first week of June, has been postponed to June 8 to 10 to give way to the 2012 African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings scheduled for May 28 to June 1.
"We have done this out of patriotism to enable Tanzania host this important meeting despite the huge loss of money on our side as a result of changing the dates of the other events," lamented the executive secretary of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), Mr Mustapha Akunaay.
He told reporters there had been complaints from the AfDB secretariat that the travel fair would distract some of the latter's delegates whose full attention it wants to be focused on deliberations on the continent's investment and growth challenges. He added that at one point there was a feeling that Africa's premier bank may change to another venue because some neighbouring countries, he could not name, were also vying to host the same high-profile conference.
Besides the AfDB annual meetings, Arusha was to host the annual Karibu Travel and Tourism show from June 1 to 3. This was to be closely followed by a two-day agricultural fair to be organised by the Eastern Africa Grain Council on June 8 and 9.
Mr Akunaay, who is also the Mbulu MP on the opposition Chadema ticket, said Tato would incur huge losses amounting to millions of shillings for postponing the travel fair which has increasingly assumed a regional role.
"We have been forced to do so in order to save the image of the country," he stated during a hastily convened media briefing in the afternoon after a meeting of the local organising committee of the AfDB meetings chaired by the Foreign ministry permanent secretary John Haule.
The Tato official was, however, not categorical on whether AfDB had threatened to pull out.
Fair organisers incur loss amid event dates collision
Arusha. Collision of dates for major international events slated for Arusha from the end of the month has proved a headache for some organisers who fear they could lose financially for rescheduling the functions.
Already the annual Karibu Travel and Karibu Fair, which normally takes place in the first week of June, has been postponed to June 8 to 10 to give way to the 2012 African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings scheduled for May 28 to June 1.
"We have done this out of patriotism to enable Tanzania host this important meeting despite the huge loss of money on our side as a result of changing the dates of the other events," lamented the executive secretary of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), Mr Mustapha Akunaay.
He told reporters there had been complaints from the AfDB secretariat that the travel fair would distract some of the latter's delegates whose full attention it wants to be focused on deliberations on the continent's investment and growth challenges. He added that at one point there was a feeling that Africa's premier bank may change to another venue because some neighbouring countries, he could not name, were also vying to host the same high-profile conference.
Besides the AfDB annual meetings, Arusha was to host the annual Karibu Travel and Tourism show from June 1 to 3. This was to be closely followed by a two-day agricultural fair to be organised by the Eastern Africa Grain Council on June 8 and 9.
Mr Akunaay, who is also the Mbulu MP on the opposition Chadema ticket, said Tato would incur huge losses amounting to millions of shillings for postponing the travel fair which has increasingly assumed a regional role.
"We have been forced to do so in order to save the image of the country," he stated during a hastily convened media briefing in the afternoon after a meeting of the local organising committee of the AfDB meetings chaired by the Foreign ministry permanent secretary John Haule.
The Tato official was, however, not categorical on whether AfDB had threatened to pull out.
Fair organisers incur loss amid event dates collision
