TOUR FIRMS in Kenya have
appealed to the Heads of State
Summit East African
Communitys top decision making
organ to intervene and resolve a
standoff between them and
Tanzania over a levy charged on
foreign tour vans crossing into the
country.
The tour firms said Tanzanias
insistence on charging foreign
vans was against the tenets of free
trade, which the EAC envisages.
According to Fred Kaigua, chief
cxecutive of the Kenya Association
of Tour Operators (KATO), Kenyan
tour vans are charged $200 to enter
Tanzania at all border crossings.
There is no such fee charged in
other EAC countries and this is
causing friction between the
Tanzanian authorities and tour
firms, said Mr Kaigua, adding that
Tanzanian officials maintain that
they were yet to receive orders
requiring them to withdraw the
charges.
However, Tanzania has insisted the
charges are important, and will
remain in force to protect its
fledging tourism sector, which it
says is not as developed as that of
Kenya.
Tanzania has indicated it needs
more time, at least up to 2015,
before it opens its market to EAC
partner states.
At an EAC meeting held in
Mombasa last month, a
representative from Tanzania said
there were some policies and
regulations that will remain in
force, unless a reversal order was
issued by higher authorities