AfricaPress-Tanzania: ZANZIBAR President Dr Hussein Mwinyi has reiterated his government’s commitment to turn the Indian Ocean semiautonomous archipelago into a tourism hotspot, hailing immigration department for improving services to tourists.
Dr Mwinyi made the remarks during a short meeting with the Tanzania Immigration Commissioner General Anna Peter Makakala who paid a courtesy call to the President at the State House in Zanzibar.
The Isles leader expressed his satisfaction with the efforts being taken by the Immigration department in solving congestion at the Zanzibar International Airport during entry clearance.
Dr Mwinyi said that his government wants to ensure tourists enjoy their stay in the country right from the entry point.
“You are doing a good job in clearing unnecessary congestion at the airport,” he said, adding that congestion causes inconvenience to the tourists and frustrates them.
Previously, travellers including tourists from abroad had been complaining over poor services including long queues at Immigration desks for entry clearance at the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA).
In the recent past the authorities said that shortage of immigration officers, small working space at the arrival terminal, and lack of/ or frequent breakdown of the screening machines were to blame for the inconveniences at the airport.
However, in response to complaints, the Immigration department has since increased the number of visitors’ entry clearance desks/windows from ten to 28 as a temporary measure, while the government finalises the construction of terminal III, a hope that it will provide a long term solution for the challenges.
Dr Mwinyi advised promoting online visa application as one of the ways to minimize congestion on arrival.
“We heavily rely on tourism for our income; therefore, let us ensure challenges at the airports and seaports are minimised. Delays at the entry points should not be allowed,” President Mwinyi emphasized.
On her part Ms Makakala congratulated Dr Mwinyi for the victory in last year’s General Election, as she further promised to resolve challenges in immigration services at the Zanzibar airports.
She said that despite the emerging challenges, the Immigration department has been doing well in revenue collection particularly after shifting to the digital world.
Dr Makakala said in 2015 the department’s collection was 10bn/-, in 2016 they collected 17.7bn/- and 23bn/- in 2017, before turning to digital.
She said after the introduction of online visa payment and other e-payments, the department collected 28.9bn/- in 2018 followed by 31bn- in 2019 and 33bn/- in the year 2020, despite economic shakeup caused by Covid-19.
