Tanzanian Natural Resources and Tourism minister Lazaro Nyalandu said Tanzania will soon join three other East African countries in implementing the single tourist visa as part of efforts to boost tourism in the region. FILE PHOTO
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Tanzania has made a U-turn and agreed to join three other East African countries in implementing the single tourist visa initiative.
The visa is expected to increase the number of tourists visiting the region because they will now pay $100 for a 90-day multiple entry visa that takes them to all the three countries instead of $150 that was required by each country.
Tanzania earlier expressed fears that Kenya’s superior air transport would see the bulk of tourists use Nairobi as an entry to the region.
Tanzania has made a U-turn and agreed to join three other East African countries in implementing the single tourist visa initiative.
Tanzanian Natural Resources and Tourism minister Lazaro Nyalandu attributed his country’s delay in agreeing to the visa pact on Tanzanians’ lack of identity cards.
He denied claims by critics that Tanzania was a stumbling block to the single tourist visa initiative that was launched by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda last year as part of efforts to boost tourism in the region.
The visa is expected to increase the number of tourists visiting the region because they will now pay $100 for a 90-day multiple entry visa that takes them to all the three countries instead of $150 that was required by each country.
“Tanzania was unable to implement the single tourist visa since our citizens did not have identity cards whereas Kenyans have for a long time been having the IDs,” said Mr Nyalandu.
“We are almost concluding the issuance of IDs to all Tanzanians and we will soon join our East African member states in implementing the single tourist visa initiative.”
Tanzania earlier expressed fears that Kenya’s superior air transport would see the bulk of tourists use Nairobi as an entry to the region.
It feared Kenya would collect a larger share of revenues from visa charges while tourists under the single visa system would enter Tanzania free of charge, denying the latter a substantial amount of income.
Tanzania has recently been accused of being slow in implementing regional agreements.
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