KIGWANGALLA - I'M ALL OUT TO TACKLE TOURIST SNAGS

Tourism and Natural Resources Minister, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla.

Dodoma - The newly appointed Tourism and Natural Resources Minister, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla, has outlined a number of strategies that his administration will undertake, to address challenges facing the tourism industry.

Speaking to key tourism stakeholders here last Sunday, a day after reporting to the ministry’s offices, the minister said the strategies would increase the annual number of tourists to two million by 2020 from the current 1.2 million a year.

Dr Kigwangwalla pointed out that among the strategies was introduction of a special window for visa issuance to tourists at all country’s gateways, to reduce the waiting time to the internationally recommended of no more than half an hour.

“We will work together with the Immigration Department to impart customer care skills to its officers to give better services, such as expediting the visa issuance process at the country’s gateways,” he explained.

Dr Kigwangala noted further that all tour service providers, including tax drivers, tour guides and hotel attendants, will be given special identification cards to prevent non-professionals to work in the tourism sector.

“This will also improve security for tourists, and thus maintain a good image of the country,” the minister said. Dr Kigwangalla said the government would also begin grading tour companies based on a number of tour vehicles and quality of services, adding that the government would review the process of star classification of hotels.

“Plans are afoot to set up an application programme with all tour services with links to all hotels, to enable tourists access tourism-related information easily,” he said.

Dr Kigwangalla said in a bid to address a shortage of hotel rooms in the country, the government would retake 10 privatised hotels which were performing poorly in the tourism industry, saying only seven hotels met the terms of agreement after privatisation.

“The government will seek new investors who will be able to run the hotels in accordance with terms of agreement,” he added. Dr Kigwangalla observed that the country had missed out an opportunity to benefit from culture tourism and that the government would collaborate with the private sector to include it in tourist towns.

“Tourists towns like Arusha and Dar es Salaam should introduce bus tours to commute tourists to places where travellers can enjoy the taste of Swahili food and traditional dance,” he said.

Dr Kigwangalla directed its executives to work on the plans to put up Presidential Museums which would document the history, speeches and photographs of the country’s past presidents.

Daily News