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Tourism stakeholders cry foul over Tawa’s steep fee increase
What you need to know:
- The increases, announced just a week ago, have left many in the industry struggling to cope with the financial strain, particularly as most clients typically book tours a year or more in advance.
Arusha. Concerns are mounting within Tanzania’s tourism industry over what stakeholders describe as ‘sudden and steep fee increases’ imposed by the government, through the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (Tawa), on tourists and service providers accessing game-protected areas.
The increases, announced just a week ago, have left many in the industry struggling to cope with the financial strain, particularly as most clients typically book tours a year or more in advance.
But Tawa’s Communication Officer, Mr Beatus Maganja, said that all stakeholders were involved and their inputs were taken into consideration during meetings held on July 11, 2024, in Dar es Salaam and Arusha.
The new rates, now published on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism’s portal, reveal increases of up to 650 percent for fees charged to tourists, tour guides, drivers, and vehicles accessing wildlife management areas (WMAs) and other protected zones.
This sharp hike has placed the burden on tour companies, which are responsible for collecting the fees on behalf of the government.
“By the end of the day, these tour firms will be overburdened and swerve off the road,” warns Vice Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), Mr Henry Kimambo.
Tourists, upon seeing the new rates, are already shifting their plans, opting for more affordable options like national parks or the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), where the hikes do not apply.
While the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) have long established a practice of informing the industry a year in advance about fee changes, the Tawa fees were introduced without such prior notice, catching many off guard.
”We expected Tawa to follow the same approach,” Mr Kimambo noted.
Tato, along with other industry associations, immediately appealed to the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism but was told the rates had already been published in the government’s official gazette.
Mr Kimambo further suggests that tour companies should be allowed to provide credit notes for future use, as they are currently absorbing the financial losses to maintain the country’s reputation as a top tourist destination.
The abrupt fee increase, particularly for drivers and vehicles, could significantly affect tourism to the WMAs, potentially harming local development projects funded by the levies.
Chairman of the Tanzania Local Tour Operators (TLTO) Mr Samuel Diah warns that the sudden changes in fees may discourage tourists from visiting WMAs, thereby undermining the broader conservation goals of these areas.
With the new rates—including a 650 percent increase for drivers’ entry fees and a 135 percent rise in tourists’ entry fees—many tour operators are pleading for Tawa to reconsider or at least enter into negotiations to avoid further damage to both the tourism industry and the broader economy.
“We urge Tawa as our good partner to engage us again as we agreed in July last year to conclude these skewed regulations in the interests of all parties,” Mr Kimambo insists, emphasizing the need for a more collaborative approach to fee management.
The new regulation stipulates that anyone conducting non-consumptive activities in buffer zones, corridors, dispersal areas, or migratory routes on privately owned and managed land will now only be required to pay the wildlife activity fees specified for those areas.
Stakeholders say that this is quite unfair since this kind of law will subject people from all over the country to pay for Tawa fees.
This is because application for the regulations is so wide mentioning protected areas under Tawa, village lands and any other area outside protected area where there are wildlife.
In Tanzania, wildlife is present not only in rural villages but also in towns like Arusha and cities such as Dar es Salaam, making it a unique feature of both urban and rural landscapes.
Tour guide Haga Kisila has urged the Tawa to reconsider the new fees, requesting a waiver of entry and conservation charges and calling for renewed negotiations.
Previously, a tourist van heading to a WMA or any other game-controlled area was charged Sh17,700 (VAT inclusive), but under the new rates, this has risen to Sh23,600, reflecting a 33 percent increase.
A driver, who used to pay Sh2,360 (VAT inclusive) entry fee, is now required to pay Sh17,700, equivalent to 650 per cent increase.
He was, in addition, required to pay Sh5,900 conservation fee which has been hiked to Sh23,600 (VAT inclusive), equivalent to 350 per cent increase.
A tourist, who was, in turn, entitled to pay $11.80 for entry fee, is now required to foot Sh70,800, equivalent to 135 per cent increase, and Sh59,000 conservation fee, up from $17.70, equivalent to 30 per cent increase.
Tato Executive Director, Mr Elirehema Maturo said: “My plea to stakeholders, let them be calm as we are now in contact with the government to ensure this issue is going to be settled.
We need to be given an opportunity for a meaningful engagement in discussing details of this regulation.
This doesn’t meant that the Ministry need to consult tourism associations themselves but we need in depth involvement of local communities, WMAs, local government authorities and even all players in conservation and tourism at all levels”
