News
Tourists begin using e-Card to enter parks
Life has been made easier and safer for Tanzania bound tourists as they no longer need to carry hard cash for entry fee to national parks using what started as CRDB bank ICT experts experiment in Tanzania’s northern tourist circuit in 2007.
Phase one of the system introduced in October 2007 covered all national parks found in the northern tourist circuit namely, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Kilimanjaro and Arusha.
This scheme uses special Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) e-Cards instead of cash to pay for park visit and game drive.
Other international and recognized local electronic debit cards like Master and Visa are also acceptable at the park gates.
Meanwhile, CRDB bank has finalised to assemble its state-of-the-art electronic payment systems for park fee collection centers in the country’s southern tourist circuit.
Yusto Bituro, a senior brand manager, also said: “CRDB bank wishes to inform the public that we have just completed the installation of e-Card Payments System at Mikumi, Udzungwa and Ruaha National Parks.”
He told tour operators at the ongoing Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair in Arusha that the system increased the number of national parks in the country using the e-card to eight. “We started with two national parks in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions way back in 2007; a year later we took on board the Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks,” she noted, adding: “So far the CRDB card payment system accounts for over 70 percent of the TANAPA’s collections centres.”
An official of the Tanzania Tour Guides Association, Pius Michael, commending the card payment system, said it has reduced a risk for both tour operators and tourists of carrying cash.
“Besides risk, the system reduces time spent at the park gates…we swap the cards at the machines and proceed with our Safaris,” Michael noted.
For his part, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, executive officer, Sirili Akko said: “To be precise, this card payment system is more efficient and also safe for tour operators, tourists and park wardens. CRDB bank should extend this superb service to all 15 national parks in the country”.
In pursuance of its dream of providing world class banking services to every Tanzanian, CRDB Bank has continued to bring both traditional and innovative banking channels closer to its customers.