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MichuziBlogV2
Most read Swahili blog on earth
mkesha wa mwisho wa mwezi...MichuziBlogV2Most read Swahili blog on earth
mkesha wa mwisho wa mwezi...
Tourism industry is `sabotaged` - Cheyo
ReplyDelete2009-01-22 11:18:06
By Felister Peter
Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Chairman John Cheyo has said poor recording of revenue collections and lack of accountability are some of the factors ``sabotaging`` the contribution of the tourism sector to the national economy.
In remarks during an interview with `The Guardian` in Dar es Salaam early this week after the committee met with Natural Resources and Tourism ministry officials, he said there were several weaknesses that made Tanzania fail to reap adequately from the tourism industry.
Most weaknesses related to the way hotel fees and revenue collection generally were dealt with, noted the opposition United Democratic Party legislator.
Cheyo said his committee had gone through a report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) and discovered that there was lack of accountability and seriousness on the recording of revenue and hotel fees.
``Some hotel owners have been neither honest nor open when it comes to the registration of visitors and fees collection,`` he pointed out.
He also mentioned faulty systems in revenue collections, especially in hotels, with the amount of fees to be paid by visitors usually not clear and some of the hotels located in districts not officially recorded and therefore, not paying any revenue.
``The tourism sector would contribute a lot more to the nation`s economic growth if the ministry concerned ensured proper recording of revenue collections and kept expenditure``, said Cheyo.
Tanzania Tourist Board managing director Peter Mwenguo admitted in later comments that, if more properly managed, the sector could contribute about 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. This would be up from the current 16 per cent.
He concurred with Cheyo that doing so would remain a tall order unless there was greater accountability in revenue collection and recording.
``It is sad that our country is blessed with all the basic requirements for a successful tourism business like natural attractions and good infrastructure but still it cannot benefit adequately from it economically,`` he observed.
Chipping in, Natural Resources and Tourism deputy minister Ezekiel Maige said the ministry has devised new strategies to ensure enhanced contribution by tourism to the national economy.
``The strategies include aggressively advertising of our tourism attractions to emerging markets in Asia, China, India, Romania, Germany and Russia,`` he noted.
He said the law on tourism now in use ``has every possibility of helping the industry improve and serve the nation more usefully and prominently``.
“The upgrading of hotels is also in full swing throughout the country, which should make Tanzania more competitive in the industry,” he added.
SOURCE: Guardian
Heee bwana wewe.........mzee unatisha huko juu kishenzi.This reflects the really situation back home there,especially for the most of civil servants..Ahhh......!!!!!!
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