There are mixed reactions over the new system of paying of entry fees to local game parks by electronic transfers. The now four-month old prepaid coupon system, according to some tour operators, has plenty of bugs that need to be fixed, including card-reading failures at payment points, the inconvenience of joining long queues while buying the electronic vouchers at bank counters and the fact that the system has tendency to collapse, especially on weekends.As far as a number of local tour operators and driver-guides are concerned, when the Tanzania National Parks Authority decided to take ‘e-commerce’ to the bush, things just got wilder not better.The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators admitted to have heard some complaints regarding the problems caused by the new system but the Association’s Executive Secretary, said TATO supports the e-card payment method. TATO supports e-commerce and it is a way forward in the local tourism industry. However the association members wanted more financial institutions and other parties involved in such transaction instead of just two banks.Starting from 1st October, 2007 the Tanzania National Parks started using electronic payment systems at its revenue collection centers parallel run with the old system.Both the tour Operators and the entire Public were later to be informed that with effect from 1st November, 2007 payment of Park fees would only be done through the Electronic Cards at all park entrance gates that had already installed the facilities.The first Phase of this new system has already covered Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, being served by EXIM bank and the Kilimanjaro and Arusha National Parks whose electronic transactions are now done through CRDB.EXIM and CRDB both private commercial Banks are the two monetary institutions that initially designed the electronic coupon payment systems in the parks and so far both enjoy the monopoly of controlling fee collection in the parks.The old system of Payment by Cash and Cheque was rendered obsolete as from last November.Fees for Serengeti National Park stand at US$ 50 per person aged above 16 years and US$ 10 for those aged between 5 and 16 years for 24 hour tour. Kilimanjaro National Park on the other hand charges US$ 60 per person aged above 16 years and US$ 10 per the minors aged 10 and 16 years for the 24 hours tour. Fees for Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Arusha National Parks are charged at US$ 35 per person aged above 16 years and US$ 10 per person aged between 5 and 16 years for 24 hours game viewing.Katavi, Mikumi, Ruaha, Rubondo and Udzungwa National Parks’ fees stand at US$ 20 per person for those aged above 16 years, and US$ 5 for each visitor aged between 5 and 16 years for the 24 hours expedition.The most expensive wild destination so far is Mahale Mountains National Park in the South-West, whose fees peak at US$ 80 per visitor aged above 16 years and US$ 30 per person aged between 10 and 16 years for a similar 24 hours park tour.Approved camping fees are charged at US$ 30 per person, per day at public campsites and US$ 50 per person per day at ‘Special’ campsites.Permit for motor vehicles to enter the parks are charged between Tsh. 10,000 for local small cars and US$ 40 for foreign ones and Tsh. 100,000 for local vehicles or US$ 300 for non-Tanzanian registered ones depending with size.

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