Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof. Jumanne Maghembe
These are among major highlights of the
135.8bn/- budget estimates for the 2016/2017 fiscal year -- an increase
of 43 per cent from the previous year -- unveiled by the minister,
Professor Jumanne Maghembe, in the National Assembly here yesterday. He
told the House that the government has continued to intensify the war
against poaching, which enabled the ministry to nab six kingpins of
poaching, including one dubbed ‘Queen of Ivory’. A total of 1,176
suspected poachers were nabbed.
The ministry also lodged a total of 654
court cases against the suspects out of which, 161 cases were
successfully conducted and the culprits paid the government a total of
363m/-, while 53 were jailed. The government also impounded a number of
trophies in the process.
Prof Maghembe detailed a number of
initiatives for the financial year, high on the agenda being a
multi-million US dollars project for the Southern Tanzania Tourism
Development Initiative, which has the financial backing of the World
Bank. Under this project, he said, the ministry has come up with a
project dubbed ‘Resilient Natural Resource Management for Growth’
(REGRWO). The project, whose preparations started in November 2014, is
expected to officially kick off in January next year.
The project is aimed at promoting better
land use, especially in areas with tourism attractions, to supervise
ecological tourism, to improve infrastructure and to identify tourism
potentials in the Southern Circuit. He named areas, which will be
involved in the project as Ruaha Game Reserve, Mikumi, Udzungwa and
Selous Forest Reserve.
The ministry has also identified new
tourist attraction areas in Mwanza, Geita, Mbeya, Manyara, Mara and
Kigoma regions where investors are invited to set up required
infrastructures. The Tanzania Tourists Board (TTB) has continued with a
drive to promote the country’s tourist attractions around the world.
In this drive, Prof Maghembe said TTB
coordinated a tour of the country for 41 people, among them tourist
agents and journalists from China, India and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, the minister’s speech indicated
an eight per cent drop in foreign tourists arrivals in the country last
year, in which the minister said a total of 1,102,619 tourists visited
the country and brought in 1.9 million US dollars (about 4tri/-)
slightly down from 1,140,156 tourists who visited the country in 2014,
who brought in 2 million US dollars (about 4 tri/-). He said the board
also participated in a symposium to lure investors and promote tourism,
held in Dubai December last year.
The board also organised a second
edition of Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE) at the Mlimani City
in Dar es Salaam from October 1 to 3, aimed at promoting the country’s
tourism. A total of 110 companies from within and outside the country,
including hotels and air travel companies, took part in the expo.
“At least 39 tourist agents from US,
Israel, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, India, Ireland, UK, German,
South Africa, UAE, Seychelles and Kenya participated,” he reported.
He further stated that TTB effectively
promoted the country through the annual ‘Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair’
in Arusha and Kili Fair in Moshi, adding that during 2016/2017, TTB
will strengthen promotion through social networks, including mobile
phone ‘portal’ and Apps. Prof Maghembe also said that the Kilimanjaro
National Parks Authority (KINAPA) won African Leading Tourist Attraction
Award at the World Travel Award in England.
The award, he said will see the country
extensively promoted in the website of this global institution. He
further told the House that Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and
Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) have continued to make
strides in protection of 16 national parks around the country and to
conserve the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the natural wonders of the world.
The two institutions have also continued
to participate in various social responsibility drives, which include
donation of 10,000 desks in 19 regions. The ministry will also review
the National tourism Policy of 1999, which is outdated. He also insisted
that the next financial year budget will focus on advancing
conservation of forestry.
On Tourism Development Levy (TDL), which
is collected from, among others; bed night levy of 1.5 US dollars, Prof
Maghembe pointed out an upward increment in which, a total of 3bn/- was
collected in 2013/2014,while in 2014/2015, a total of 4.2bn/- was
fetched.
He said during 2016/2017, the ministry
will continue to work closely with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA)
to improve systems of TDL collections in which a total of 1,424 guest
houses have been identified in 25 Tanzania Mainland regions where the
levy will be collected.
Prof Maghembe requested the House to
endorse 135.8bn/- for his ministry during 2016/2017 financial year, of
which, 118bn/-is for recurrent expenditure and 17.7bn/- for development
projects.
Tabling the Natural Resources and
Tourism Committee views on behalf of the Chairman, Atashasta Nditiye, a
committee’s representative, Mr Sebastian Kapufi, demanded that a special
audit be carried out on Participatory Forest Management Programme (REDD
and CCIAP), where funds were released from the 2015/2016 budget to
conduct training to trainers and secretaries of the Olmotonyi Forestry
College in Arusha as well as for renovation of seven houses at the
college.
Debating the estimates, some MPs pressed
the government to table the report by the Judicial Commission of
Inquiry formed to look into the controversial ‘Operation Tokomeza’. Ms
Magdalena Sakaya (Kaliua-CUF) said the report by the commission,
appointed by President Jakaya Kikwete, would shed light on those who
died and others who were exposed to various forms of torture.
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