MINISTER STOPS HOTEL RATING FEE

Arusha. Natural Resources and Tourism minister Hamisi Kigwangalla has suspended payment of $3,500 (about Sh7 million) as hotel rating fees by owners.

Speaking in a meeting with tourism stakeholders, Dr Kigwangalla said due to complaints by the hoteliers, it was better the payment was suspended until a new mechanism is established.

He said it was impossible for all tourist hotels to be required to pay $3,500 regardless of an establishment’s status.

“We need to review the mechanism from which hotels are paying to be assessed because it isn’t fair to charge a flat rate for all hotels without taking into consideration the status of an establishment,” said Dr Kigwangalla. Earlier, the chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, (Tato), Mr Willy Chambulo, said they were surprised to learn that all the hotels were required to pay $3,500 as rating annual fee.

In another development, the minister directed the ministry’s official to review the law on the issuance of licences for transporting tourists.

Currently, tour operators are required to pay $2,000 to acquire licences to transport tourists. However, Dr Kigwangalla said the licence prices should be determined by financial capacity of a particular firm.

The minister said he had agreed with opinions given by tourism stakeholders.

“I totally agree with your suggestion. It is crucial for us as the ministry to make some adjustments so as to attract more investors including those owning a single van to take part in tourism business unlike how things stand now, whereby a person running a fleet of 150 vehicles pays $2,000 just as one with one vehicle,” he said.

He added that his ministry had the mandate of ensuring that the numbers of tourists went up from the current 1.2 million to 2 million by 2020.

Dr Kigwangalla said the target cannot be reached unless all obstacles in the tourism sector are removed.

The minister also directed that from now onwards all public institutions touting the country’s tourism in international exhibitions must involve private firms through the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato).

“At least 80 per cent of tourists coming into the country are brought by private firms. So, in international exhibitions the private firms must be involved more closely,” he said.

The Citizen