18:00
The Arusha-based Tanzania Association of Tour Operators has issued statement against the recent acid attack on two British teenage volunteers in Zanzibar, saying the incident will badly hurt tourism.
Some tourists take a walk along Swahili street in Dar es Salaam
“We always market Tanzania as the ‘Land of Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro, Serengeti andZanzibar,” pointed out Mr Mustafa Akonaay the Executive Secretary of TATO here, adding that the incident in which the two volunteering teachers were attacked by motor-bike riding individuals in isles, will stain one of the industry’s trademarks.
The two British girls Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both aged 18, were reportedly attacked by two men who were riding on a motorbike as they walked through the streets of Unguja the legendary historical Stone Town last Wednesday night. Some corrosive liquid was splashed over their faces, chests, backs and hands burning them badly.
The girls, who have already been flown back to London, underwent initial treatments in Dar-es-salaam where President Jakaya Kikwete paid them a visit in hospital.
But as far as TATO official is concerned the incident wasn’t just an attack on innocent foreigners but rather some underground mechanism to sabotage the country’s tourism because in the course of this year similar attacks were experienced in Arusha which is the epicentre of the travel industry.
“There have been series of attacks on church buildings, Islam leaders and Priests in the Isles, later the religious house attacks moved to Arusha where a church was bombed,” reminded Mr Akonaay adding that the incidents only seem to occur in tourism sites.
Arusha City is gateway to the country’s leading tourism destinations including Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park while Zanzibar is the global choice for beach tourism and at the moment TATO is worried that should the United Kingdom issue a travel advisory in the wake of the acid attack, Tanzania is set to lose a lot.
Mr Akonaay called for thorough investigations on both the Zanzibar and Arusha incidents saying they were neither religious nor politically affiliated but rather all those attacks were clearly targeting Tanzania, especially the country’s fast growing tourism industry.
At the moment Tanzania attracts more than one million foreign visitors per year and the number is expected to double in few years’ time. While the country’s mainland remains the pinnacle of adventurous wildlife safaris, the Zanzibar Island was on the other hand fast emerging as the ultimate destination for laid-back beach tourism.
Daily News
Some tourists take a walk along Swahili street in Dar es Salaam
