Tanzania mulling plans for cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro
With tourism the country’s main source of hard currency, the move makes sense, but mountain porters are not happy
Dar es Salaam — Tanzania wants to boost tourist numbers by putting a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, and is in talks about the project with two companies, a Chinese and a Western one. About 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually. A cable car could increase tourist numbers by 50% by providing access to the mountain for those unable to climb it, Constantine Kanyasu, the deputy minister for tourism, said. The country is conducting feasibility studies on possible routes at the moment, Kanyasu told Reuters. “This won’t be the first time in the world; cable cars are there in Sweden, Italy, the Himalayas,” he said. Kanyasu said the government was looking at business plans, potential investors and profits. The length of the route has not been finalised, with various options under consideration depending on cost and engineering issues, the minister said. An environmental impact assessment would also be carried out. Porter and guide groups who take tourists up t...
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