TTB OPEN ZONAL OFFICE TO BOOST TOURISM

Board opens zonal office to boost tourism

 The Citizen on Sunday Reporter

  Sunday, October 6   2013 

In Summary

Officially opened by the deputy minister of Tourism and Natural Resources, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, the occasion marked the region’s major step in boosting tourism and make it the fourth source of income for residents still glued to the agro-pastoral economy.

Mwanza. The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) on Friday opened its office in Mwanza that will serve six other regions in the Lake Zone.

Officially opened by the deputy minister of Tourism and Natural Resources, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, the occasion marked the region’s major step in boosting tourism and make it the fourth source of income for residents still glued to the agro-pastoral economy.

The opening of the office, as explained by the TTB managing director, Mr Aloys Nzuki, aimed at supporting Mwanza Region’s efforts to serve as a hub of the Tanzania’s western tourist zone.

Mr Nzuki said, the zonal office would also act as the board’s liaison office for Mwanza, Geita, Mara, Simiyu and Shinyanga regions.

“The large zonal market potential suggests the need to establish presence in the sector that now serves one of the biggest sources of foreign income and the rapidly growing sector,” he said.

“We are establishing a fully-fledged office in Mwanza which will enable us to move more strongly into the Lake Zone market and effectively leverage the tourism potential of Mwanza and its neighbours,” he said.

The move to open the office in Mwanza, the Lake Zone’s economic powerhouse, targets to turn the city and its neighbours drivers for remarkable growth in the sector.

“The decision to establish a zonal office in Mwanza is part of the country’s goal to improve the sector in areas around the Lake Zone,” added Jeff Madole, the chairman of the committee that organised this year’s Tourism Week fair.

The new office, as Mr Madole disclosed, will be used to monitor markets across the region, disseminate information, liaise with local partners, and will act as a regional strategy implementation centre.

“We have seen consistent growth in the sector in Lake Zone areas, despite poor response,” added Mr Madole.

Tanzania tops latest list of best tourist destinations in the world

Posted  Sunday, October 6   2013

In Summary

This is an important milestone for the country, which has been blessed with numerous national and internationally renowned tourist attractions and cultural heritages that have been drawing the attention of the world.

Dar es Salaam. As the world marked, the World’s Tourism Day on September 27, Tanzania was named as the most sought after destination for leisure travel among middle income class communities.

This is an important milestone for the country, which has been blessed with numerous national and internationally renowned tourist attractions and cultural heritages that have been drawing the attention of the world.

The tourism sector contributes approximately 15 per cent to the national GDP and foreign currency worth $1.5 billion (Sh2.4 trillion) per annum. It also provides employment opportunities for more than 1.2 million people. Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) statistics indicate that by December last year, Tanzania had received 1,077,000 tourists, reflecting 18.8 per cent increase from 874,500 tourists received in 2011.

Even though this shows that the industry is growing remarkably, experts say the nation needs to do more to improve it by setting out frameworks and strategies on service delivery as well as stepping up security for tourists.

The ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources projects that Tanzania will hit the 1.6 million tourist arrivals mark by 2015. However, this needs concerted strategies in place to ensure that the target is achieved.

In 2012, The New York Times named Tanzania in the 7th position out of 45 most preferred destinations in the world. But recently (2013), a new survey by an online travel agency, CheapOair, ranked Tanzania number one on the list of most sought after destinations in the world. Mr Richard Rugimbana, the Tourists Confederation of Tanzania (TCT) chairperson, underlines the need to set strategies for service delivery, peace and security. He says, even if the country targets to receive 1.6 million tourists by 2015, it should go an extra mile to achieve that.

“We need to review our tourism policy which has been in place since 1999... The policy can no longer cope with numerous changes and reforms that have been taking place...We need to have skilled, competent and conversant people to work in the sector. Tourism is not like going shopping, it is rather the experience people have when visiting the country that can make them recommend to others too to try it out,” he adds.

On labour, he says human resource is a big challenge due to lack of tourism colleges that can cater for the growing market needs.

To address the issue, Mr Rugimbana urges the government to support available training institutions to produce as many quality graduates as possible. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation forecasts a 50 per cent growth in Africa’s tourists arrivals over the next nine years – a massive increase from the current 50 million visitors.