Serengeti registers sharp drop in tourist numbers
What you need to know:
Tourist numbers have dropped from the usual 6000 to 24 per day
Musoma. The number of tourist visiting The Serengeti has dropped drastically from 6000 to 24 tourists per day following the outbreak of the corona virus which has hit both the global tourism and hospitality industry
Most tourists have canceled their scheduled trips, tour operators have closed down and others have been forced to after several airlines cancelled international flights around the world including national carrier ATCL.
Speaking at the Mara Region primary health committee on how to tackle the covid-19 outbreak today, the head of the Serengeti National Park, Massana Mwishawa said the outbreak has had diverse effects on the economy.
According to him most hotels in the National Park have closed forcing employees to go home because there are no visitors coming to the game park any more.
“Hotels such as Melia, Four Seasons and others have temporarily sent home their workers because there are no visitors to serve because of the outbreak of the virus,” said Mr Mwishawa
Apart from the hotels the outbreak has also impacted on the surrounding towns such as Mugumu and Bunda that were dependant of the tourists for their livelihood.
He said currently everyone coming into the park has to be tested before they enter.
