Tour operators have welcomed the directive that prevents the development of additional hotels within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. However, they also suggest that the directive may not be enough to solve the problem of overcrowding in the area.
The directive was issued by President Jakaya Kikwete last month, in a bid to preserve Ngorongoro, suggesting that interested investors should build their property in the Karatu Township instead.
According to Tanzania’s Daily News, this directive follows concerns raised about increasing human activity in Ngorongoro.
Bosco Monah, Fikiria Tanzania Safari Tours MD, told Tourism Update that the development of infrastructure in Karatu would promote it as a tourist destination and increase tourism business in the area, while reducing the overcrowding in Ngorongoro and keeping it intact.
However, despite this, tour operators also suggest that the directive may not be enough to curb the overcrowding problem in the area. Minaz Manji, Twiga Tours CEO and Marketing Director, said the directive was good news to tour operators but fell short of what was really needed to protect Ngorongoro.
Manji suggests that if investors are encouraged to build new properties in Karatu, visitors in Karatu will still want to come into the crater, which defeats the purpose. “As it stands now during the peak season one sees and passes more vehicles than the animals that the tourist has come to see.”
Manji says he had hoped that the President would ban all new tourist developments with Ngorongoro and all surrounding areas, including Karatu.
John Addison, Director of Wild Frontiers, says although the banning of property development is good news, there are other solutions that can ease the overcrowding. Addison suggests that the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority should provide visitors with additional attractions away from the crater rim, such as cultural tours, to show visitors and the world that there is more to Ngorongoro than just animals. He says there is plenty of space in other areas of Ngorongoro where development can still take place.
At time of publication, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority could not be reached for comment.