Ndagullachrles
Senior Member
- Jun 20, 2023
- 147
- 153
Tourism agents in the Kilimanjaro region have asked the government to immediately cancel the non-governmental organization called the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) because they claim that the organization tarnishes the image of the tourism business in the country.
They claim that, KPAP is spreading dirty propaganda to slander the agents in the country as being dishonest and not providing good service to the porters, which they claim is not true.
KPAP through its website has released a list of about 45 tourism agency companies and informed the world that these are the companies that provide good services to visitors and porters.
As a result of the information, the agents are questioning the authority of the institution to assume responsibilities that do not belong to it.
Matata Omari, the director of Matata Tours says what the institution is doing is destroying the tourism business that has been paying taxes to the government and providing employment to hundreds of porters and guides.
Matata wants the government to review the registration of this Institute including calling its constitution to see if what is being done is correct according to its constitution and if what is being done is not in line with the constitution then the Institute should be dissolved immediately.
"This is a project, you cannot force people to become your members and remember that joining the party is a matter of choice, the act of telling visitors not to use companies that are not members of KPAP, this is unacceptable", he says.
The situation has put the agents in a difficult time as they have been frequently asked by tourists if they are members of KPAP.
Communication documents between guests and agents show that if the agent is not present at the Institute, some tourists have been canceling their trips and looking for an agent who is a member of KPAP.
"We are a group of 5-7 people to climb Kili on Jully 2022 and we are looking for options for the Lemosho route " "Could you please advise on your rates and what is icruded and excluded?" "Are yuo a member of KPAP?"
many Thanks.
Regards."
That is one of the communication between the guest and the agent wanting to be informed if he is a member of the Institute.
These agents claim that the Institute has become the source of them missing visitors frequently and putting a mortgage on the tourism business that the government of President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has struggled to promote to the world at great cost through the Royal Tour Film.
An agent has spoken on the condition of not being named, he has claimed that he has recently lost ten guests due to not being part of the Institute and thus the jobs of 45 people were lost, including five guest guides, five cooks, five waiters and 30 porters who also lost their salaries. In addition, TANAPA has lost 8,350 US Dollars in park fees for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Women in the market have also run out of money because they could bring in income, the supermarket has run out of money as well as in the hotels where these guests could stay.
"That is one trip for guests, ask yourself if every guest will refuse to climb the mountain with a company that does not exist in KPAP, what do you expect if the tourism business is not monopolized by a few people?, he asks.
They want the government to take immediate steps to cancel the KPAP to save the tourism industry as hundreds of tourism agents will close their offices and many people who depend on employment through the tourism industry will end up as beggars while the government on its part is missing billions of money from various fees through Tourism.
However, the National Parks Agency (TANAPA) through the leadership of the Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) has already begun to deal with the complaints of tourism agents in the country including collecting accurate information.
Kilimanjaro regional head, Nurdin Babu has been asked about the Institute to give itself the authority to select foreign agents to do the work, he asked to be given information so that he can do the work.
However, after being informed, he asked to be given time and when he was contacted again, he demanded that the responsibility be given to the Kilimanjaro Regional Secretary.
"I have received that information from RAS, I don't know if he has completed it because he was on a trip and he came back today," he said.
When the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism was contacted, Ambassador Pindi Chana said he was in the parliament hall and asked to be contacted later and when he was contacted again, his phone rang with no answer.
They claim that, KPAP is spreading dirty propaganda to slander the agents in the country as being dishonest and not providing good service to the porters, which they claim is not true.
KPAP through its website has released a list of about 45 tourism agency companies and informed the world that these are the companies that provide good services to visitors and porters.
As a result of the information, the agents are questioning the authority of the institution to assume responsibilities that do not belong to it.
Matata Omari, the director of Matata Tours says what the institution is doing is destroying the tourism business that has been paying taxes to the government and providing employment to hundreds of porters and guides.
Matata wants the government to review the registration of this Institute including calling its constitution to see if what is being done is correct according to its constitution and if what is being done is not in line with the constitution then the Institute should be dissolved immediately.
"This is a project, you cannot force people to become your members and remember that joining the party is a matter of choice, the act of telling visitors not to use companies that are not members of KPAP, this is unacceptable", he says.
The situation has put the agents in a difficult time as they have been frequently asked by tourists if they are members of KPAP.
Communication documents between guests and agents show that if the agent is not present at the Institute, some tourists have been canceling their trips and looking for an agent who is a member of KPAP.
"We are a group of 5-7 people to climb Kili on Jully 2022 and we are looking for options for the Lemosho route " "Could you please advise on your rates and what is icruded and excluded?" "Are yuo a member of KPAP?"
many Thanks.
Regards."
That is one of the communication between the guest and the agent wanting to be informed if he is a member of the Institute.
These agents claim that the Institute has become the source of them missing visitors frequently and putting a mortgage on the tourism business that the government of President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has struggled to promote to the world at great cost through the Royal Tour Film.
An agent has spoken on the condition of not being named, he has claimed that he has recently lost ten guests due to not being part of the Institute and thus the jobs of 45 people were lost, including five guest guides, five cooks, five waiters and 30 porters who also lost their salaries. In addition, TANAPA has lost 8,350 US Dollars in park fees for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Women in the market have also run out of money because they could bring in income, the supermarket has run out of money as well as in the hotels where these guests could stay.
"That is one trip for guests, ask yourself if every guest will refuse to climb the mountain with a company that does not exist in KPAP, what do you expect if the tourism business is not monopolized by a few people?, he asks.
They want the government to take immediate steps to cancel the KPAP to save the tourism industry as hundreds of tourism agents will close their offices and many people who depend on employment through the tourism industry will end up as beggars while the government on its part is missing billions of money from various fees through Tourism.
However, the National Parks Agency (TANAPA) through the leadership of the Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) has already begun to deal with the complaints of tourism agents in the country including collecting accurate information.
Kilimanjaro regional head, Nurdin Babu has been asked about the Institute to give itself the authority to select foreign agents to do the work, he asked to be given information so that he can do the work.
However, after being informed, he asked to be given time and when he was contacted again, he demanded that the responsibility be given to the Kilimanjaro Regional Secretary.
"I have received that information from RAS, I don't know if he has completed it because he was on a trip and he came back today," he said.
When the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism was contacted, Ambassador Pindi Chana said he was in the parliament hall and asked to be contacted later and when he was contacted again, his phone rang with no answer.
