The Hunting Report

An E-Mail Extra Bulletin

The Latest On That
Tanzania Fee Increase



No matter what you hear, the 2007 season in Tanzania is not going to be affected by those huge fee increases we told you about earlier this week. There will, in fact, be no government-mandated fee increases at all this year, large or small. I have that from TAHOA Chairman Gerard Pasanisi who is now in Dar Es Salaam personally handling the fee-increase crisis.

"You can tell your subscribers that they can come on safari to Tanzania this year without fear of a government-mandated fee increase," Pasanisi told me by phone this morning.

But what about local news articles asserting the fee increases are going through, I asked. And what about scattered reports of safari companies canceling safaris. "Are you sure, Gerard," I asked. "There is a lot of fear and confusion on this matter in the US and Europe."

"I am absolutely positive," was Pasanisi's reply.

He said the fees would not be imposed this year because of a 1994 agreement safari operators have with the government. That agreement mandates that the government give safari operators at least nine months notice of a fee increase. No warning was given, so no fees can be increased this year, Pasanisi says.

In more than 25 years of publishing The Hunting Report, I should point out, Pasanisi has never been wrong on a pronouncement of this sort. I have heard nothing from any quarter that makes me doubt him this time. If I personally had a safari to Tanzania booked, I would get on the plane and go.

But where does this news leave you if your safari company has cancelled your safari, or is hiking your fee dramatically? Obviously, you should heed your company's warning that that they are not prepared to take you afield this year if they tell you that. They may be misinformed about the fee increase, or they may be using the fee increase as an excuse to cancel your hunt. The same goes about a hike in fees this year. The company may simply be misinformed, or they may be trying to profiteer from the confusion. Do not blindly pay any new fees for a safari to Tanzania this year. Reference this bulletin if you like. More details as they become available. - Don Causey, Editor/Publisher.

Don Causey has surely put his credibility on the line. If he's wrong (and I hope to heck he's not), I wonder who will believe him in the future? ... and I really don't like his insinuations about PH's and booking agents being dishonest in this.

Judge:

I hope for both our sakes he's right. He has however always seemed reluctant to come down on one side or the other without waiting on all the facts to come out. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

joec

Cutting through all the BS and rumor and speculation, the fact is no one knows at this point, we are all on hold and all the ya ya will not change anything.

My immediate thoughts are

WHY does Mr. Pasanisi not back up his VERBAL to Don with a FORMAL WRITTEN dated and STAMPED SIGNED document covering exactly what he has said, that would be a good step I believe to allay fears as we all know how good a verbal can be in these modern day times

Cheers, Peter

I'll be on the ground there Monday and am certain my company will tell me PDQ if they expect to hunt and for what fees.
In fairness to them they have told me as late as this past Thursday AM (TZ time) that all my fees are the same as they were back in Feb. when I booked them.

THANK YOU KATHY!!!

quote:

WHY does Mr. Pasanisi not back up his VERBAL to Don with a FORMAL WRITTEN dated and STAMPED SIGNED document covering exactly what he has said, that would be a good step I believe to allay fears as we all know how good a verbal can be in these modern day times

Makes live easyer for a lot of hunters planing to hunt TZ 2007....