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SUMMARY
Beginning January 1, 2014, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing (CoW), effected a single tourist visa for visitors to their destinations.
Samuel Sitta, Tanzania’s minister for East African Affairs said the country is unlikely to join the single visa territory any time soon.
Mr Sitta said so far there is no devised mechanism as to how the revenue will be shared, and hence there is no benefit for Tanzania in this arrangement.
Tanzania has finally ruled out joining the proposed 'East African single tourist visa', arguing that it is a threat to its security and economy, sparking fears about its commitment to joint projects under the trade bloc.
Beginning January 1, 2014, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing (CoW), effected a single tourist visa for visitors to their destinations.
A similar plan is jointly being pursued by the five EAC countries. EAC Secretary General Richard Sezibera last year cited the introduction of a single tourist visa to the region, and the revival of an East African passport across the member states, as among the priorities for the trading bloc, alongside the removal of non-tariff barriers in the aviation and tourism sectors.
It is understood that Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda decided to implement the project against Tanzania’s apparent opposition to it.
Tanzanian officials have repeatedly said that they have no objection to other EAC member states holding bilateral discussions as long as they do not take decisions that are binding to the community. Tanzania has recently been accused of being slow in implementing regional agreements, informing the formation of the CoW.
According to experts, 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.
However, Samuel Sitta, Tanzania’s minister for East African Affairs said the country is unlikely to join the single visa territory any time soon.
“Tanzania has the largest number of tourist attractions in the region, and as of last year it had the largest number of tourists than any other East African country; under circumstance like this, how will the revenue from visa charges be shared,” said Mr Sitta on Friday.
He said Kenya has the best air transport with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport receiving four times the number of international flights compared with Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport, meaning the largest number of tourists will enter the region through Nairobi.
He said the scenarios mean that Kenya will collect all revenue from visa charges while tourists under the single visa system will enter Tanzania free of charge denying the latter a substantial amount of income.
Mr Sitta said so far there is no devised mechanism as to how the revenue will be shared, and hence there is no benefit for Tanzania in this arrangement.
statistics :
Tourist arrivals
Tanzania received 6.7 million tourists between 2001 and 2012 earning the country Tsh614.38 billion ($380.3 million).
Source : Tanzania rejects EAC single tourist visa plan - News - www.theeastafrican.co.ke
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