The recommendations by a coronavirus committee formed in April by Tanzania’s new President, Madam Samia Suluhu Hassan, has won the hearts and minds of tourism players, specifically Tanzania tour operators, who say the consent of voluntary vaccination is fair and would be a new impetus for their painstaking efforts to revive the industry.
- Tanzania Tour Operators Association Chair says people should be free to decide if they want to be vaccinated.
- A green passport would be proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result, or recovered from the virus.
- TATO developed basic health infrastructure support in the key tourism circuit, including ambulance services and agreements with some hospitals to be used for tourists services.
The committee of experts tasked to evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic situation and recommend the best approach to respond against it has advised the government to be flexible in relation to introducing vaccines in the country, arguing that the global approved vaccines are safe and effective.
“There should be freedom for the people to decide whether or not to be vaccinated,” said the Chair of the group, Prof. Said Aboud, at a press conference at State House in Dar es Salaam on Monday.
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) Chair, Willy Chambulo, said the committee’s recommendations are sitting extremely well with tour operators, arguing that if enforced, they will see not only tourism industry rebounding, but also opening up the country for massive foreign direct investments.
“Tanzania loses nothing, for example, for being transparent and compliant to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance such as to recognize the vaccinated tourists, popularly known as ‘green passport holders,’” the TATO boss noted.
