NAIROBI
\nTanzania\u2019s white beaches and safari lodges are emptier than usual as the country counts the cost to its crucial tourism sector from the mass killing of protesters during recent election unrest.
\nThe election on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over allegations that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the vote.
\nPolice responded by shooting dead more than 1,000 people, according to the opposition, though the government has still not given a final body count.
\nWith fresh protests called for December 9, there are fears of more disruption to come.
\n\u201cThe current situation is very disturbing,\u201d said a hotel manager in Arusha, one of the cities serving as a gateway to the Serengeti safari park.
\n\u201cIn my hotel, 150 bookings and four international events that were planned for December have been canceled so far,\u201d the manager said, adding the hotel was below 30 percent full, compared to two-thirds or higher for that period normally.
\nThe government has insisted there is nothing for tourists to fear.
\n\u201cOur nation remains peaceful, calm, and open to all,\u201d spokesman Gerson Msigwa told reporters.
\nBeyond the Internet blackout and canceled flights at the height of the unrest, tourists have indeed been largely unaffected.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s having a real impact on us foreigners,\u201d said French tourist Jeremy Fuzel, shopping for handicrafts with his wife and young daughter on the island of Zanzibar.
\nBut business has been noticeably slow, said shopkeepers in the island\u2019s capital, Stone Town.
\n– \u2018Fear to speak\u2019 –
\nThat is a problem in the east African country where tourism has become the biggest revenue source, attracting a record 2.14 million international visitors last year and projected to make nearly $4 billion this year.
\n\u201cMany people may fear to speak about the real situation but almost half of the tourism business is disrupted,\u201d said a tour operator in Arusha, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of violent reprisals by the police.
\nActivists say tourists should stay away to punish the government for its violence.
\n\u201cIf you go snorkelling or swimming you might find body parts as we received solid information that bodies were dumped into the Indian Ocean,\u201d said exiled activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai on X.
\nBut others say tourism\u2019s real problems stem from recent counter-productive government policies.
\nNora Suleiman, founder of the Nakupenda Tours agency on Zanzibar, blamed a new $44 insurance fee and $90 passenger tax on plane tickets for putting off tourists.
\nPatrice Caradec, head of French tour operators union SETO, said the biggest problem was a ban on Tanzanian airlines flying in the European Union this year over a lack of safety personnel.
\n\u201cTanzania has been a hit with the French for several years,\u201d but it dropped by 15-18 percent this summer, he said, largely because of the airline ban.
\n– \u2018Rebuilding confidence\u2019 –
\nThe most frustrating aspect, Caradec said, was that SETO sent a team to help Tanzania deal with the paperwork to get the ban removed, but it was ignored by the Tanzanian government.
\n\u201cBetween the blacklisted airlines… and the riots, I can confirm that quite a few of our compatriots have decided not to go,\u201d he said.
\nMabrian, a consultancy using artificial intelligence to measure global sentiment about countries and industries, made a more direct link to the election unrest.
\nIt found there was a 14 percent drop in its perception-of-security index for Tanzania in November among international travelers year-on-year. Hotel prices were also down 14 percent.
\n\u201cEven once the political situation stabilizes, rebuilding confidence in travelers\u2019 safety and security will remain a crucial and urgent challenge for Tanzania,\u201d said Mabrian analyst Carlos Cendra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI Tanzania\u2019s white beaches and safari lodges are emptier than usual as the country counts the cost to its crucial tourism sector from the mass killing of protesters during recent election unrest. The election on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over allegations that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the vote. Police […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n