Serengeti — Creating exclusive tourist attractions within national parks would have adverse effects on the country's tourism sector, a wildlife official cautioned yesterday.

Serengeti National Park warden Mtango Mtaiko said the majority of local tourists and many foreign tourists would not be able to visit the exclusive zones, thus impeding efforts to promote Tanzanian as a preferred tourist destination.

He added that concept should be debated widely and the advantages and disadvantages clearly spelt out before it is implemented.

Mr Mtaiko told members of the Parliamentary Committee on Parastatal Accounts that the plan would greatly impede the media campaign being carried out by the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa), which aims to attract more local and foreign tourists.

"Most of the potential local and foreign tourists would not have access to the exclusive tourist attractions because the concept targets a few well-to-do tourists to see the attractions," Mr Mtaiko explained during his presentation of the national park activities to the lawmakers.

Tanapa currently is encouraging Tanzanians to embrace a culture of visiting local tourist attractions to enable the authority to generate sufficient revenue internally instead of having to rely solely on foreign tourists.

He asked the MPs to raise in Parliament the issue of low fees paid to Tanapa by investors operating within national parks, saying the agency charged them a "tiny amount".

Ilemela MP Anthony Diallo said it was time Parliament revisited the concept and concession fee to assist Tanapa, which contributed substantially to public coffers annually.

The deputy chairperson with the parliamentary committee, Ms Esterina Kirasi, urged Tanapa workers to consider interests of the nation while on duty.

Tanzanian national parks were among the best in Africa, she said, and urged the workers to protect them for the benefit of the current and future generations.

Ms Kirasi said the committee was planning to meet soon to deliberate on lessons learnt during their visits abroad for the betterment of the tourism sector.

The committee is scheduled to visit various development projects being implemented by Tanapa in collaboration with communities surrounding parks.