THE government says it is assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, hinting that the situation on the ground shows that the sector has been hit hard.
The assessment on the impact of the pandemic on tourism is being conducted in the wake of the report released recently by Africa's largest online marketplace for safari tours that shows a 75 percent drop in new safari bookings.
A recent survey conducted by Africa's online marketplace for safari tours known as Safari- Bookings.com shows that out of the 443 tour operators involved, more than 90 percent experience a huge drop in new bookings.
"This decline is a direct consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. In a worrying result for the safari industry, the trend of significant declines in new bookings and large scale cancellations of existing bookings continues," the report states in part.
"This is a major blow for Africa's safari industry, the wildlife reserves that rely on its revenue and the local people employed in the safari industry," noted the report.
Some of the operators have been quoted in the survey saying that the tourism industry was on its knees both on the international and domestic fronts.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Dr. Hamisi Kigwangalla confirmed the grim scenario via a live televised local news programme on Friday.
According to him, tourism is among sectors that had been hit the hardest within the country and worldwide.
"Times have become so tough; projecting on who is safe and who is not is becoming difficult," noted Dr. Kingwangalla.
He attributed that to massive cancellation of international flights, including Turkish Airline, Emirates, KLM, Qatar and Swiss Air from March 25 to 28, this year.
Such outcomes follow the various lockdown measures put in place by countries to avert any further spread of the virus and minimizing the flow of tourists to Tanzania.
He could not quickly estimate the impact, noting that in the past two weeks, the government had started assessing the contagion effects of the novel coronavirus to the country's economic growth.
Dr. Kingwangalla noted that the cancellation of flights, closing down of hotels, lodges, restaurants, among other recreational facilities can be felt, considering that tourism offers a large share of jobs in the country after agriculture.
"I can admit that the sector could be among the first affected... the many tourists who had made bookings to visit the country's attraction sites have been canceled, affecting the many people employed in the sector," he said.
As a key person in charge of the sector, he expressed commitment to ensure that all directives and experts' advice was being adhered to during this difficult period.
He further remarked: "There is a sense of uncertainty amongst operators but also a concern for the welfare of their clients. As we fight this virus pandemic, we advise our customers to stay safe and obey government advice to overcome it. As safari experts, we also advise clients not to cancel their safaris just postpone in order for us to save tourism worldwide as no situation is permanent."
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