BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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former Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Zakia Meghji
Tanzanian tourism will be fatally wounded should 40 years closed border between Serengeti National park and the Kenyan Adjacent Maasai Mara be reopened, the government has been warned.
Contributing to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism budget presentation yesterday in parliament, former Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Zakia Megji who served in the ministry for 9 years as minister warned parliamentarians that opening the Bologonja Border will be a fatal mistake.
Currently, tourists visiting the Serengeti have to legally cross the border into Tanzania and use our routs, this increases revenue to local and public stake holders, the House was told.
She explained that, should the border be reopened, then tourists will enter and return to Kenya without having to stay in Tanzania a fact that will gravely hurt stakeholders in the country especially those in the catering and hospitality industries such hotels, restaurants, lodges and camps as well as Safari companies, tour operators and tour guides.
This will significantly lower revenue from the sector and severely affect employment, she cautioned.
Detailing, Megji said the countrys road infrastructure connecting the two parks is very depleted compared to Kenyas modernised ones and that coupled with Kenyas much more developed tourist services will have tourists opting to visit Serengeti from Kenya and return back without ever touring Tanzanias interior.
Earlier in his Report to parliament, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Lands Natural Resources and Environment, James Lembeli MP for Kahama (CCM) noted that Kenya has done much more advertisement of its tour industry than Tanzania.
That be the case, Lembeli asked the government to protect wildlife boundaries including cross country borders, saying loosely protected borders fuel poaching activities and harbour negative effects on the countrys tour industry.
The Bolongonja border in question was closed by Mwalimu Nyereres administration based on environmental grounds and has stayed closed to date.
Recently, media in Kenya reported that tour operators in there are excited and looking forward to the re-opening of the Maasai Mara Serengeti border at Bologonja and Sandrivers.
Kenyas former Wildlife and Tourism Minister Najib Balala is quoted to have argued that continued closure of Bologonja entry point by Tanzania is not in the spirit of East African Community cooperation.
He said that opening the Bologonja-Sand River entry point would dramatically reduce the travel time between Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania and would signify a new official border crossing between Kenya and Tanzania.
At the time of the Kenyan ministers statement, former Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources Ezekiel Maige affirmed that Tanzania has no intention of reopening the border point as jointly agreed earlier with Kenyan leaders.
The fragile ecosystem of the area, which is a world heritage site, cannot be sacrificed for the mere purpose of shortening the route between Maasai Mara and Serengeti, which is also crossing point for wildlife during the annual migration, he had said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
