THE Tourism Act is up for an amendment to give more powers to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) to rein in ‘errant’ tourism operators, it has emerged.
Tourism authorities told StandardBusiness last week that operators were taking advantage of the laxity in the legislation and were reneging in supplying ZTA with statistics on a monthly basis. Operators have to supply the tourism promotion body with statistics on the 15th of each month.
At a Tourism Statistics workshop last week ZTA said that a paltry 20% of operators were releasing information required by the authority to compile statistical information on time. ZTA said that some operators were supplying the authority with inaccurate and inconsistent information.
ZTA said the delay in releasing information by the 15th of every month handicapped the tourism promotion body to release statistical data on time. ZTA collects information from operators through the Levy and Statistical Remittance form issued in terms of the Tourism Act Chapter 14:20.
Environment and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema said although there was adequate legislation to deal with concerns in the tourism sector, there was a proposal to centralise authority in the Tourism Act.
More: allafrica.com
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Tourism Director Julie McDaniel
Elk County Commissioner Christine Gavazzi continued in her efforts to encourage the North Central Pennsylvania Planning and Development Commission to incorporate the viewpoint of the tourism sector at Wednesday morning's meeting.
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Gavazzi brought the issue up at previous meetings, and at the time thought bylaws required amendment at the annual meeting, which would be in October. She said upon further reading she felt the bylaws could be amended at a regular meeting of the executive committee, and the other committee members agreed.
The distinction means the
In a May 30 story about congressional travel, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Rep. Gary Miller, R-California., was among the lawmakers who belatedly filed required reports on previously undisclosed trips paid for by special interests.
Instead, the April 20, 2005, disclosure report of Miller's 2004 trip to France amended his 2004 report of the trip filed in accordance with House rules. Spokesman Kevin McKee said news stories raising questions about Majority Leader Tom DeLay's travel prompted Miller's office to review travel records and file the update.
More: sfgate.com
The Zimbabwean government has dug in its heels over proposed constitutional amendments and challenged its critics to take their concerns to parliament.
Human rights activists and lawyers have slammed the controversial Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No.17 Bill of 2005, labelling it the latest in a long line of alterations to the constitution.
Zimbabwe's fundamental law has been amended 16 times by the ruling ZANU-PF government, the most notable being the abolition of the Prime Minister's position, which led to the creation of an Executive Presidency in 1987.
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A draw for next year's Super 14 was recently revealed in South Africa's Sunday Times.
Officials say it's a draft and could yet be amended, but the Sunday Star-Times understands few changes are likely and several Super 14 franchises have already planned their travel.
The draw has two of the South African sides (Cats and Sharks) overseas for five weeks in 2006, with
