The recent action by the Kenyan government to bar Tanzania registered vehicles from entering its parks and airports has drawn mixed feeling from ordinary Tanzanians and stakeholders.
Yet despite what the Kenyan government has announced, Tanzania registered vehicles (read shuttle buses) plying from Moshi and Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya were the only Tanzania registered vehicles dropping and picking passengers (tourists and others) from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi.
Otherwise tour vans from Tanzania tour operators have ceased to use their vans into Kenyan airports and parks several years ago.
JKIA, accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the tourists who come to Tanzania. Of the nearly 1.1 million tourists who visited Tanzania in 2013 over 400,000 passed through the Kenyan airport.
Kenya's East African Affairs, Trade and Tourism cabinet secretary, Phyllis Kandie announced last week that Tanzania registered vehicles will no longer be allowed into its parks and airports, after the meeting which was scheduled to discuss details of the 1985 bilateral agreement for review failed to take place in Arusha.
On her part, Tanzania has fully implemented the bilateral agreement which require that Tanzania and Kenya exchange tourists at designated entry points.
Entry points in which the agreement listed in Tanzania include: Horohoro, Holili, Namanga and Sirari; regional towns of Tanga, Moshi, Arusha and Musoma and sea ports – Tanga, Bagamoyo, Mafia, Dar es Salaam, Lindi, Mtwara, Zanzibar, Wete and Chakechake. While Kenya entry points include: Lungalunga, Taveta, Namanga and Nyakiyakaye; all towns and sea ports – Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi and Mombasa.
Based on the ‘Tourism Cooperation Agreement' between Tanzania and Kenya which was signed on June 5, 1985 in Dar es Salaam by Mr. H. Z. Talawa, the then Principal Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism Tanzania, and Prof. Peter Gacii, the then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya:
Terms agreed under article ‘X of the bilateral agreement reads: The Contracting Parties shall take the necessary steps with a view to promoting and intensifying the tourist exchange between them giving special attention to contacts made between their authorized tourist organization and agencies.
Article II is reinforced by article III which reads: The Contracting Parties shall encourage their authorized travel agencies to promote tours between their respective countries on mutually advantageous basis with a view to increasing the tourist traffic flow between them and shall support joint promotion of their tourist attractions in third markets and will endeavour to make better known their tourist attractions.
A few Tanzanians are of the opinion that the Tanzania government should make the local airports travel-friendly by attracting many international airlines. One analyst based in Arusha who requested not to be mentioned in the paper, said that it is the load factor (cargo) which determines the choice of a destination by airlines.
Tanzania, he asserts, mainly is flying in tourists and the exports are still at minimal level, not encouraging many airlines to take the Tanzania route. He says, for example you have a full flight arriving at KIA or JKNIA and what is its take on their return flight?
Kenya, he argues, has vast opportunities of exports which include cut flowers transported from Tanzania (estimated to be over 50% of horticulture exports) and other products from the EAC region that use Kenyan airports (mainly Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - JKIA). This helps International airlines to travel back with cargo, if passengers do not fill up the seats, a situation which is not present in Tanzania.
In addition, he said Kenya operates a daily flight (Kenya Airways) from or via Amsterdam including a daily KLM flight all linking and connecting the whole of Europe - landing in Nairobi. Europe is traditional tourist market for both Tanzania and Kenya.
This, therefore, means the frequency of scheduled flights competing on a route helps to lower the price tag which makes more travelers choose the route, while ensuring a high enough load factor (cargo) to guarantee the profitability which will allow the airline to develop and make profits.
That said, tourists have several flight choices to make to fly into Kenya than it is to fly into Tanzania. According to analysts, a flight ticket to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, is far cheaper by US$ 500 than a ticket to fly to Kilimanjaro, from Europe. The shuttle cost between Nairobi and Arusha one way is nearly US$ 30.
So, he argues, by Tanzania having no national airline at present it leaves the nearly 60% of all tourists revenues be pocketed by airlines through air fares. In order for Tanzania to tap in the maximum benefits of tourists, he said, the national airline is a critical investment.
Ben Laseko, an economist based in Arusha had this to say: I was wondering as to why the Government of Tanzania doesn't want to deal with the issues which make JKIA more attractive than KIA when it comes to visiting tourist attractions in the northern Tanzania Tourism circuit.
He mentions lowering landing fees of our international airports and upgrade of airports. Already the Tanzania government is upgrading the Julius Nyerere International Airport to handle more passengers and cargo. The upgrade of KIA including its runway is long overdue, he says.
Developments in the East African Community (EAC), Ben suggests, have made some agreements and mode of doing things look outdated. This should be tackled with the EAC framework.
Regarding the horticulture exporters using JKIA Ben said: I believe(I do not have data), close to 50% of the cut flowers flown from JKIA is from Tanzania, and I also believe cold rooms are not very expensive investments - even the private sector could be welcome to invest in cold-room at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
"Tanzania should be able to convert this challenge into an opportunity by developing own infrastructure (systems) now otherwise, the sovereignty of the state is at stake." stressed Ben.
Sirili Akko, the ES (Executive Secretary) of the Umbrella association of Tanzania tour operators said, the Tanzania government need to work expeditiously to improve airports, lower landing fees, and other tourism infrastructure, such that local tour operators can communicate with tourists to come directly to Tanzania without having to go through Nairobi (JKIA) as is the case at this time.
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) hopes that Tanzania can manage its tourist entry airports or points as more airlines are choosing to come to Tanzania, mainly through Kilimanjaro International airport (KIA).
KIA is located halfway between Moshi and Arusha, giving the Arusha, Manyara, Kilimanjaro and Tanga regions an easy access for direct flights to several destinations in the world.
The demand for passenger seats has been growing fast to service the lucrative Kilimanjaro route as the destination continues to attract new visitors to its tourism wonderlands scattered all over the northern zone, as well as conference organizers.
The northern zone boasts of Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in Africa, The Serengeti and Ngorongoro both commanding a big chunk of visitors, as well as Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Arusha national parks including the wealth of cultural heritage, and the huge Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) based in Arusha.
Apart from the tourism industry the northern zone also has precious mineral resources (Tanzanite), thousands of livestock, a robust horticulture industry that adds value to the quality of life of the people and revenues in the Tanzanian economy.
A prominent businessman based in Moshi, Mr. Joackim Minde, with vast interest in the tourism sector, with investments in hotels and ground transport, said Tanzania need to improve her airports and marketing. He asks, 50 plus years after this country got independence has continued to rely on foreign airports. He is concerned that Tanzania has done more in conservation and protecting tourist sites and not promoting them, to attract large volumes.
He argues that the same focus should now, albeit late, be directed to improve tourists infrastructure including attracting many airlines to land in Tanzania directly. Besides, he asks that the Tanzania government should enact laws and policies that will encourage more locals to take part in tourism businesses and development.
Mr. Elishilia Kaaya, the CEO of the AICC, commenting on the issue, at a personal level, said Tanzania and Kenya remains with the onus of ensuring that its systems are working to perfection. The present situation should help Tanzania to have appropriate infrastructures to mitigate on any eventually that may arise from outside her jurisdiction.
He added, diplomatic options remain open as the two countries are members of the East Africa Community bloc in which the Treaty provides platforms to exhaustively discuss matters of interest to the two countries.
Meanwhile, Hon. Harrison Mwakyembe, minister for the EAC docket in Tanzania while speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam early this week said consultative meetings from the Tanzanian side are ongoing to prepare discussions for the next meeting with the Kenyan delegation.
Source: Arusha Times
Yet despite what the Kenyan government has announced, Tanzania registered vehicles (read shuttle buses) plying from Moshi and Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya were the only Tanzania registered vehicles dropping and picking passengers (tourists and others) from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi.
Otherwise tour vans from Tanzania tour operators have ceased to use their vans into Kenyan airports and parks several years ago.
JKIA, accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the tourists who come to Tanzania. Of the nearly 1.1 million tourists who visited Tanzania in 2013 over 400,000 passed through the Kenyan airport.
Kenya's East African Affairs, Trade and Tourism cabinet secretary, Phyllis Kandie announced last week that Tanzania registered vehicles will no longer be allowed into its parks and airports, after the meeting which was scheduled to discuss details of the 1985 bilateral agreement for review failed to take place in Arusha.
On her part, Tanzania has fully implemented the bilateral agreement which require that Tanzania and Kenya exchange tourists at designated entry points.
Entry points in which the agreement listed in Tanzania include: Horohoro, Holili, Namanga and Sirari; regional towns of Tanga, Moshi, Arusha and Musoma and sea ports – Tanga, Bagamoyo, Mafia, Dar es Salaam, Lindi, Mtwara, Zanzibar, Wete and Chakechake. While Kenya entry points include: Lungalunga, Taveta, Namanga and Nyakiyakaye; all towns and sea ports – Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi and Mombasa.
Based on the ‘Tourism Cooperation Agreement' between Tanzania and Kenya which was signed on June 5, 1985 in Dar es Salaam by Mr. H. Z. Talawa, the then Principal Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism Tanzania, and Prof. Peter Gacii, the then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya:
Terms agreed under article ‘X of the bilateral agreement reads: The Contracting Parties shall take the necessary steps with a view to promoting and intensifying the tourist exchange between them giving special attention to contacts made between their authorized tourist organization and agencies.
Article II is reinforced by article III which reads: The Contracting Parties shall encourage their authorized travel agencies to promote tours between their respective countries on mutually advantageous basis with a view to increasing the tourist traffic flow between them and shall support joint promotion of their tourist attractions in third markets and will endeavour to make better known their tourist attractions.
A few Tanzanians are of the opinion that the Tanzania government should make the local airports travel-friendly by attracting many international airlines. One analyst based in Arusha who requested not to be mentioned in the paper, said that it is the load factor (cargo) which determines the choice of a destination by airlines.
Tanzania, he asserts, mainly is flying in tourists and the exports are still at minimal level, not encouraging many airlines to take the Tanzania route. He says, for example you have a full flight arriving at KIA or JKNIA and what is its take on their return flight?
Kenya, he argues, has vast opportunities of exports which include cut flowers transported from Tanzania (estimated to be over 50% of horticulture exports) and other products from the EAC region that use Kenyan airports (mainly Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - JKIA). This helps International airlines to travel back with cargo, if passengers do not fill up the seats, a situation which is not present in Tanzania.
In addition, he said Kenya operates a daily flight (Kenya Airways) from or via Amsterdam including a daily KLM flight all linking and connecting the whole of Europe - landing in Nairobi. Europe is traditional tourist market for both Tanzania and Kenya.
This, therefore, means the frequency of scheduled flights competing on a route helps to lower the price tag which makes more travelers choose the route, while ensuring a high enough load factor (cargo) to guarantee the profitability which will allow the airline to develop and make profits.
That said, tourists have several flight choices to make to fly into Kenya than it is to fly into Tanzania. According to analysts, a flight ticket to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, is far cheaper by US$ 500 than a ticket to fly to Kilimanjaro, from Europe. The shuttle cost between Nairobi and Arusha one way is nearly US$ 30.
So, he argues, by Tanzania having no national airline at present it leaves the nearly 60% of all tourists revenues be pocketed by airlines through air fares. In order for Tanzania to tap in the maximum benefits of tourists, he said, the national airline is a critical investment.
Ben Laseko, an economist based in Arusha had this to say: I was wondering as to why the Government of Tanzania doesn't want to deal with the issues which make JKIA more attractive than KIA when it comes to visiting tourist attractions in the northern Tanzania Tourism circuit.
He mentions lowering landing fees of our international airports and upgrade of airports. Already the Tanzania government is upgrading the Julius Nyerere International Airport to handle more passengers and cargo. The upgrade of KIA including its runway is long overdue, he says.
Developments in the East African Community (EAC), Ben suggests, have made some agreements and mode of doing things look outdated. This should be tackled with the EAC framework.
Regarding the horticulture exporters using JKIA Ben said: I believe(I do not have data), close to 50% of the cut flowers flown from JKIA is from Tanzania, and I also believe cold rooms are not very expensive investments - even the private sector could be welcome to invest in cold-room at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
"Tanzania should be able to convert this challenge into an opportunity by developing own infrastructure (systems) now otherwise, the sovereignty of the state is at stake." stressed Ben.
Sirili Akko, the ES (Executive Secretary) of the Umbrella association of Tanzania tour operators said, the Tanzania government need to work expeditiously to improve airports, lower landing fees, and other tourism infrastructure, such that local tour operators can communicate with tourists to come directly to Tanzania without having to go through Nairobi (JKIA) as is the case at this time.
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) hopes that Tanzania can manage its tourist entry airports or points as more airlines are choosing to come to Tanzania, mainly through Kilimanjaro International airport (KIA).
KIA is located halfway between Moshi and Arusha, giving the Arusha, Manyara, Kilimanjaro and Tanga regions an easy access for direct flights to several destinations in the world.
The demand for passenger seats has been growing fast to service the lucrative Kilimanjaro route as the destination continues to attract new visitors to its tourism wonderlands scattered all over the northern zone, as well as conference organizers.
The northern zone boasts of Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in Africa, The Serengeti and Ngorongoro both commanding a big chunk of visitors, as well as Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Arusha national parks including the wealth of cultural heritage, and the huge Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) based in Arusha.
Apart from the tourism industry the northern zone also has precious mineral resources (Tanzanite), thousands of livestock, a robust horticulture industry that adds value to the quality of life of the people and revenues in the Tanzanian economy.
A prominent businessman based in Moshi, Mr. Joackim Minde, with vast interest in the tourism sector, with investments in hotels and ground transport, said Tanzania need to improve her airports and marketing. He asks, 50 plus years after this country got independence has continued to rely on foreign airports. He is concerned that Tanzania has done more in conservation and protecting tourist sites and not promoting them, to attract large volumes.
He argues that the same focus should now, albeit late, be directed to improve tourists infrastructure including attracting many airlines to land in Tanzania directly. Besides, he asks that the Tanzania government should enact laws and policies that will encourage more locals to take part in tourism businesses and development.
Mr. Elishilia Kaaya, the CEO of the AICC, commenting on the issue, at a personal level, said Tanzania and Kenya remains with the onus of ensuring that its systems are working to perfection. The present situation should help Tanzania to have appropriate infrastructures to mitigate on any eventually that may arise from outside her jurisdiction.
He added, diplomatic options remain open as the two countries are members of the East Africa Community bloc in which the Treaty provides platforms to exhaustively discuss matters of interest to the two countries.
Meanwhile, Hon. Harrison Mwakyembe, minister for the EAC docket in Tanzania while speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam early this week said consultative meetings from the Tanzanian side are ongoing to prepare discussions for the next meeting with the Kenyan delegation.
Source: Arusha Times