Kenya locks out TZ tour operators, cars

Dar es Salaam. Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) has banned Tanzania’s tour operators and vehicles from taking visitors to Kenya’s game reserves and parks.

According to the Kenya News agency, the move by TRA is in response to a similar action by Tanzanian tourism authorities, whom it accused of deliberately locking out Kenyan tour operators from key reserves and parks.

However, Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) told The Citizen on Saturday, that the move was in compliance with Tanzania’s regulations providing that such services be conducted within each country’s boundaries.

Speaking at a recent tourism stakeholders meeting in Kisumu, TRA acting director-general Korir Lagat said, such cases have now become common-place and Kenya is not going to take it lying down. “Through a letter to Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), all vehicles bearing Tanzanian number plates will be denied entry into our parks,” said Lagat. He said, TRA has also informed by letter all county governments that have tourist attractions of major significance not to allow Tanzanian registered vehicles into their parks.

Tanapa’s Public Relations manager Paschal Shelutete said, it is not true that all vehicles bearing Kenyan numbers were being troubled or denied access to national parks.

“Kenyan families in their private cars are welcomed at any moment they wish to tour our parks.”

He said, the ban “is on tour operators and tour operations registered vehicles,” and that was agreed by the two countries way back in 1985.

He said, according to the agreement, tour operators from the two countries were allowed to swap tourists along border towns, and not to enter with them in the parks since they didn’t have the respective countries’ operating licences.

“That is the agreement that we follow and Kenyan authorities too are supposed to respect it, if they are not adhering to it, it’s not upon us to comment,” said the Tanapa PR manager.

He explained that the agreement was set to ensure there’s sanity in the industry and each country gains from the same market.

“Remember, this is one market that we are all competing for, there should be a level-playing field. There are major Kenyan companies that have opened sister companies here, they pay required taxes and are allowed to operate in our parks since they are licensed to do so,” he said.

According to Shelutete, other claims and demands against the spirit of the agreement between Kenya an Tanzania “are politically motivated and are of no value to Tanzania.” He stressed that the 1985 agreement did set up the required operating standards between the two countries.