Tourism industry players in Tanzania are eliminating the possibility of Western nations providing travel aisories in concern to latest bombings. They caution, though, of the likelihood of a decrease in visitors if this persists. The terror attacks along the coast areas of Kenya have as well set more alarm.
The managing director of Jackpot Safaris Mr. Andrew Malalika said that he doesn’t anticipate a travel aisory from the U.S and UK at this time however adding that the country ought to take safety measures.
Even though tourism is an extremely sensitive industry, he does not foresee a scenario where overseas tourists begin staying away from Tanzania as a result of latest attacks. He adds that to get to a point where Tanzania is avoided can’t happen at this point, de-linking those bomb attacks in Zanzibar plus Arusha to Al-Shabaab a Somali terrorist group. Mr. Malalika, who is associated with Tanzania Association of Tour Operators – TATO, doesn’t believe that the Al-Shabaab was in responsible for the raids here. He instead places blame on hired gangs saying that the country hasn’t had suicide bombers. The distribution of extremists from other countries might have paid off local people to execute these attacks.
Also, he viewed; travel aisories might be a huge blow to Tanzania’s tourism industry considering that the country receives a substantial tourist number from the U.S and the UK.
This year in May, these two nations issued aisories to their people recommending them not to adventure into terror-prone regions within Kenya. This emerged shortly before the UK evacuating all its citizens visiting the Kenyan coast as the attacks by a Somali-based terrorist group increased.
These cancellations cost the Republic of Kenya about $57 million / Sh105 billion. It couldn’t be proven just how much Tanzania will lose as a number of visitors to the nearby country cross over.
Arusha which is the centre for Tanzania’s tourism a multi-million dollar business has been put through terror attacks in the last year. The criminals of the raids, that claimed a minimum of 8 lives leaving approximately 100 people wounded, haven’t been entirely established in the middle of fears these could be connected to international terrorist networks.
Zanzibar, along with other key tourist destination, in addition has had a share of deadly bomb assaults plus shootings, primarily aimed towards religious leaders.
Of the Arusha attacks two of them happened in the last Ten days and injured ten people. One of these assaults happened at an Indian restaurant that is commonly visited by foreigners.
The remarks by the TATO official’s were repeated by Simon Mapolu a Business Consultant, that played-down the travel aisories. The situation in Tanzania is not the same as Kenya, in which the attacks have been aimed at tourist sites as well as foreigners.
He referred to the bombers in Zanzibar as well as Arusha as “misguided people” that are out to generate fear plus divisions among the people of Tanzanians. He was particular that there wasn’t any possibility of travel aisories however added that the sensitive situation within Kenya must be an issue of concern.
