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Zanzibar warns tour operators doing business without being licensed
ZCT’s Director of Management and Coordination of Tourism Activities, Mr Adil George (second left with a white t-shirt), checks tourism operators license during the tour at their offices recently.
PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Mr George said stern action was taken against those doing tourism business against the law, and as a result, some of the companies have been closed
Dar es Salaam. Tour operators who operate without being registered with the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) have been warned.
The warning comes after a visit to the offices of various tour operators by ZCT and Zanzibar Revenue Authority (ZRA) officials revealed that there are unregistered enterprises operating tourism-related activities without registration.
Recently, ZCT changed the validity duration of permits awarded to tourism-related businesses on the islands.
The reforms aimed to allow tourism enterprises to get licences at any time of year, with subsequent renewals occurring on the anniversary of the original issuance.
Despite the modifications, Mr Adil George, ZCT’s Director of Management and Coordination of Tourism Activities, claims that there are still companies operating without a valid permit.
Speaking yesterday after conducting a two-day visit to the tour operator companies in the Isles, Mr George said that they also found people who unlawfully obtained licences.
Mr George said stern action was taken against those doing tourism business against the law, and as a result, some of the companies have been closed
“We are warning all those doing tourism business without being registered in Zanzibar; we will continue to look for them, and once we find them, they will be arrested, and we will stop them from continuing with such businesses,” he said.
The warning was also sent to some foreign companies that do touristic business in Zanzibar as local companies without a licence.
“This is against the law; there are some businesses set up only for locals, so for any foreigner to work as a tour operator, they should cooperate with local companies, so we can get benefits for the locals to participate in those businesses,” he said.
