JK: Tourism now leading foreign exchange earner

[BAK]

What was the actual amount earned through tourism? Give us the dollar amount please!

JK: Tourism now leading foreign exchange earner
DEOGRATIAS MUSHI in Arusha
Daily News; Monday,May 19, 2008 @17:01

Tourism has now become the leading foreign exchange earner in Tanzania, as it accounts for 17.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), President Jakaya Kikwete has said.
Opening the 33rd African Travel Association (ATA) congress here today, president Kikwete said that the number of international tourist arrivals in the country had also increased from 525,122 in 2001, to 719,031 last year, creating 250,000 jobs.

The president said the success was possible, thanks to government’s serious measure to promote development of tourism in the country. He said tourism had now been a model of success in the current economic reform process, as it had been very responsive to transformation and modernization, catching up with international standards.

“We know we are not there yet, but we are determined to get there the soonest possible, as we want to make our country a premier world destination for leisure, pleasure, exploration and discovery”, said the president.

Mr Kikwete said Tanzania had realized that working in partnership with other stakeholders in the industry like ATA was a key to success that could attract more tourists and more investment in tourism infrastructures.

The president said that though Africa had vast tourist resources available, tourism in the continent was still at a very infant stage of development. “What has so far been exploited is a very tiny party of the tourism potential that exist in our dear continent. Much more can be done and need to be done”, said the president.

The president told the ATA congress which is meeting under the theme; “Bringing Africa to the World and the World to Africa” that more needs to be done to tap Africa’s potential and increase Africa’s share in the global tourism business.

He said Africa’s share of global tourist business remains small, as projections indicate that Africa will receive 47 million tourists in 2010 and 77.3 million in 2020, an average growth of 5.5 per cent annually.

“Given that global tourism arrivals are projected to be one billion in 2010 and 1.6 billion in 2020, Africa’s share remains relatively small. Africa can perform much better than what the projections tell us”, president Kikwete said.

He added that development of tourism in Africa had called for solutions to solve problems facing the industry like communications, accommodation and standard of services to make the tourists’ stay comfortable in the host country. The president criticized the attitude of the western media towards Africa, particularly about what deserves to be told about Africa.

He said the coverage of Africa’s problems of conflicts had overshadowed the good stories from Africa, including its beauty and tourism potential. He stressed that when this attitude changed, Africa’s image in the western world will also change, and the tourism sector would benefit tremendously.

 

[Koba]

..Good news indeed,lakini more investment zinahitahijika ili kuongeza hizo deniro...tuna kila kitu lakini sijui tunakwama wapi!

 

[BAK]

Koba, kama sikosei mwaka jana kulikuwa na habari kwamba asilimia kubwa ya mapato ya utalii yanaingia katika makampuni ya wazungu ambao wanaandaa safari hizo za watalii toka nchi mbali mbali za magharibi lakini mapato yote huishia mifukoni mwao. Kwani wamendaa sehemu maalum za kulala na kula kwa watalii hao na hawalipi kodi. Hivyo pamoja na kuwa idadi ya Watalii inaongezeka kila mwaka, wanaofaidika ni hao wazungu wanaotumia mianya iliyopo katika sekta ya utalii ili kujitajirisha. Ndio maana nimeomba dollar amount ili tuone kama inaendana sambamba na ongezeko hilo.

 

[LazyDog]

Koba, kama sikosei mwaka jana kulikuwa na habari kwamba asilimia kubwa ya mapato ya utalii yanaingia katika makampuni ya wazungu ambao wanaandaa safari hizo za watalii toka nchi mbali mbali za magharibi lakini mapato yote huishia mifukoni mwao. Kwani wamendaa sehemu maalum za kulala na kula kwa watalii hao na hawalipi kodi. Hivyo pamoja na kuwa idadi ya Watalii inaongezeka kila mwaka, wanaofaidika ni hao wazungu wanaotumia mianya iliyopo katika sekta ya utalii ili kujitajirisha. Ndio maana nimeomba dollar amount ili tuone kama inaendana sambamba na ongezeko hilo.

You have a point man, we need to look at this!
Naamini kuna sababu ambazo ni positive za kuwaruhusu wazungu kuendesha TOUR companies and other tourist attractions hapa Tanzania. Sababu zenyewe ni zipi?

Maana kuna watalii wanafanya malipo ya safari huko huko Ulaya which translate to lost foreign currency
Au ndo mambo yale yale ya short-cuts, kwamba tumeshindwa ku-advertise sisi wenyewe?

• 
  For how long should we let this be, maana I doubt we have a win-win situation here!!!

 

[Katibu Tarafa]

huu ni uongo na sijui hizi taarifa wanazo mpa muungwana ni za kupika wala hazina ukweli wowote.

 

[LazyDog]

huu ni uongo na sijui hizi taarifa wanazo mpa muungwana ni za kupika wala hazina ukweli wowote.

Kwa nini unadhani hivyo?

 

[Savimbi]

Koba, kama sikosei mwaka jana kulikuwa na habari kwamba asilimia kubwa ya mapato ya utalii yanaingia katika makampuni ya wazungu ambao wanaandaa safari hizo za watalii toka nchi mbali mbali za magharibi lakini mapato yote huishia mifukoni mwao. Kwani wamendaa sehemu maalum za kulala na kula kwa watalii hao na hawalipi kodi. Hivyo pamoja na kuwa idadi ya Watalii inaongezeka kila mwaka, wanaofaidika ni hao wazungu wanaotumia mianya iliyopo katika sekta ya utalii ili kujitajirisha. Ndio maana nimeomba dollar amount ili tuone kama inaendana sambamba na ongezeko hilo.

Heshima yako Bubu,
Katika swala la Makampuni yanayoendeshwa na wawekezaji kutoka Magharibi pamoja na Kusini mwa Africa, yamekuwa wakijipatia faida kubwa zaidi ya makampuni ya kizalendo.

Hawa jamaa wa kizungu wanapofungua kampuni basi pia hufungua na camp / flying camps/ mobile camps zao kwa hiyo mapato yote ya yule mteja yanabakia kwake.
Ila hapo hapo ipo siri kubwa sana, Driver/Guide wa hizo kampuni haruhusiwi kuzungumza chochote na mgeni tofauti na maelezo yahusianayo na safari (wanyama & ndege) na mara nyingi group leader wa hizi kampuni huwa ni mwekezaji mwenyewe na dereva hawaruhusiwi kupokea zawadi yoyote ile toka kwa mgeni ukionekana tu ndiyo unaelekea kupoteza kibarua!

Hawa mawakala wakuu wa hizi kampuni ambao wako Ulaya, marekani & Afrika Kusini wanawatoza pesa nyingi sana hawa watalii kiasi kwamba akifanikiwa kufahamu labda bei park fees ama camping fee akilinganisha na pesa yote aliyotoa lazima akadai refund kwa Agent kuwa kaibiwa!

Na hii ndiyo sababu inayowafanya wapende kuwatenga wageni wa kampuni zao kukaa karibu na wageni kampuni nyingine, wanahofia wale wanaweza kuwauliza bei walizolipa kwenye makampuni ya kizalendo ambazo ni rahisi!

Route zao mara nyingi ni nje ya Mipaka ya Park, Lake Natron, Lake Eyasi, Mt. Oldonyo Lengai, Loliondo, Babati....ambapo malipo yanayofanywa kwenye vijiji husika ni kidogo sana ukilinganisha na kiwango cha kulipia hifadhini, wakati huo mtalii kachajiwa anaingia Hifadhini na kulala humo, hapa ndipo serikali inapopigwa bao ndiyo maana napendekeza maeneo hayo Serikali iyakabidhi kwa mamlaka Husika.

Hata kwa zile kampuni zinazoendesha shughuli za upandishaji watalii Mlima Kilimanjaro, baadhi ya kampuni za kigeni ziliwahi kuwa na Trail zao za kupandishia tofauti na wengine, baada ya kuona zimeleta madhara Tanapa ikaamua kuzifunga, lakini tayari kulishakuwa na special route za makampuni, watalii wengine hawaruhusiwi kuitumia.

Hili kidogo nadhani linatakiwa serikali iliangalie upya, hawa watu wanapata faida zaidi ya mara 3 kwa kampuni ya mzalendo! Ikiwezekana ifunge kambi zao, na wageni wao walale kwenye kambi ambazo zinatumiwa na watalii wengine, ili kuwepo kwa uhalali wa malipo yanayofanywa na mtalii hata kama kunatofauti basi isiwe kubwa sana!

 

[Power to the People]

Hii industry ni kubwa sana, lakini idadi ya wafanyakazi haiendani kabisa, and most of the times wafanyakazi wa makampuni haya ambayo mengi ni ya kigeni wanakuwa ni wageni na kazi zile za chini ndio za wabongo na sio kwamba hakuna qualified people wapo wengi lakini hakuna anayewabana hawa wenye makampuni katika utoaji wa vibali vya kufanya kazi (work permits) utakuta wazungu ambao hawana hata elimu wana vibali vikubwa vya kufanya kazi.

Halafu mtu atasema nchi haina ajira, wakati tumeamua kuwaalika hata vijana waliomazo matrix na kuwapa work permits ili wafanye kazi bila bugdha yeyote ile.