Tanzania has ordered all Airbnb hosts to register their facilities or face arrest

david nganga

September 11, 2018 1:51 PM

The government will conduct a "house to house" search and arrest any operators who fail to comply with the order

Airbnb operators in Tanzania have been ordered to register their facilities with the government in the next 50 days or face arrest.

Rosada Musoma, assistant director of licensing and control in the ministry of tourism, said the government wants to recognize the facilities and will hence be required to pay the licence fees.

She added that upon expiry of the 50-day period, the government will conduct a "house to house" search and arrest any operators who have failed to comply with the order.

A report on Airbnb's website termed tourism as one of the biggest sources of hard currency for Tanzania. The country earned $2.2 billion from 1.3 million tourists who visited in 2017.

Fairness

Siriri Akko, the executive secretary of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators,said the government’s decision would create fairness in business and protect tourists from any problems.

“Even if they (accommodation operators) receive a low number of tourists, they should pay taxes and license fees like others because their business is growing fast as tourists now want to experience life outside hotels,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

david nganga