The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has announced a special drive to curb poaching, ensure extensive tourism promotion and marketing; and enable advanced forestry conservation.
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 organized 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.
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 organized 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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