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Night checks on tourists upset operators
2008-03-23 10:33:15
By Jackson Kimambo, PST, Moshi
Tour operators in Kilimanjaro Region are accusing informal night checks on tourists made by officials from the Immigration Department, saying such unnecessary checks were tantamount to influencing poor tourism earnings.
Two prominent tour operators in the region, Cuthbert Swai and Jackob Tarimo, are complaining that their clients were pursued by immigration officials to their hotel rooms for interrogation at night despite completion of the compulsory custom formalities.
``Just imagine tourists have their documents completely cleared upon their arrival at the airport. Officials from the same department accomplish the job, issue clearance certificates to the visitors, yet officials from the same department chase them to their hotel rooms asking questions that have already been answered by their colleagues.`` Swai says.
He recalled a recent incident that he described as embarrassing when 25 student volunteers from West Island in Canada who were in the region for ten days to assist on the construction of a classroom at Nkuu Primary School in Machame, Hai district were tracked down to their hotel rooms at night by immigration officials.
Tarimo is questioning the legality for immigration officials to follow visitors in their hotel rooms at night while they knew for sure that their visit was coordinated by local operators who could provide any information required during work hours.
``Some of our clients are forced out of their beds simply to respond to questions already answered in the past few hours or days.
We need to work closely with the government to promote this industry instead of painting bad image to the visitors,`` Swai suggests.
Responding to the accusations, Kilimanjaro Regional Immigration Officer, Abdullah Khamis, says the claims were unfounded because some of the tour operators deliberately violated some immigration regulations under the pretext of tourism promotion.
``Tour operators have the obligation to adhere to immigration procedures and should stop using tourists as a shield to contravene laws and regulations,`` Khamis insists.
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