AfricaPress-Tanzania: CRDB bank has granted tour operators a three months relief from servicing their loans as the sector grapples with Covid-19.
This was unveiled on Tuesday at the tourism stakeholders meeting held in Arusha that developed a raft of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which will regulate the sector in the wake of the deadly virus.
The Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla who chaired the tourism stakeholders meeting commended CRDB Bank for providing tour operators a relief from servicing their loans as the sector grapples with Covid-19.
The Minister said that the break was not only important to assist the operators to remain in business, but also sustain the 2bn/-a year industry economically.
“This is a big break especially for our local businesses as they try to get back to their feet,” opined the minister.
Dr Kigwangalla challenged other financial institutions in the country to follow suit in mitigating the effects of the novel Coronavirus on the lucrative sector.
He said: I call upon other financial institutions to give consideration for their business loans and come up with such a break in order to revive the sector.
The CRDB Director of Corporate Affairs, Tully Ester Mwambapa said the bank’s move aimed at providing relief to the bank’s customers in servicing their loans particularly during outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
“CRDB bank is closely monitoring the situation to make sure that each customer is given break depending on how much is affected by the challenges brought by the outbreak of Covid-19,” she said.
She said CRDB bank met its borrowers to assess how coronavirus affected them and find ways to help them during and after the pandemic.
During their two-day brainstorming session held on Monday and Tuesday here in Arusha, tourism stakeholders developed a raft of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which will regulate the sector in the wake of the deadly virus.
The players also recommended for the quarantining of staff working in tourist facilities for 14 days and get tested for Covid-19 as they wait to serve their clients.
Tourists visiting Tanzania will be subjected to some tests before they commence their trips.
According to the SOPs, all arriving flights are required to have an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), compliant so as to allow the Tanzania’s Immigration Department and Airport Authorities to receive and interrogate the flight manifest for possible high-risk passengers.
