By Shubila Barongo
29th January 2015
Geoffrey Meena, Tanzania Tourist
Board (TTB) Marketing Manager
Stakeholders
in the tourism industry will fly the Tanzanian flag higher at this year’s IBT
Berlin tourism show, as they play host of the East African expo. The latter is
a special focus event to be held in between the five-day show.
IBT Berlin is the world’s largest
International Trade Fair that is held in March every year in Germany, and this
time round it is slated for the 4th, whereby 114,000 exhibitors from 180
countries will attend.
Speaking to The Guardian in an
exclusive interview in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB)
Marketing Manager Geoffrey Meena, said Tanzania will use the opportunity to promote
its attractions through its current campaign “Tanzania: Africa’s Best Safari
Country” as voted by Safaribookings.com, and Tanzania, The land of Kilimanjaro,
Zanzibar and the Serengeti”.
He said the Tanzanian team will also
promote the three attractions that were selected among the ‘Seventh Natural
Wonders of the Africa’ in 2013.
“We are proud to be hosts of this
year’s IBT Berlin - East African day, which will be held on March 6. As
chairman of the East African region, all the showcasing of EAC tourism products
will be exclusively done in the Tanzanian pavilion. So we shall use this
advantage to woo as many visitors and business partners as possible,” Meena
said.
He said ministers from Tanzania are
highly expected to attend the event. “Therefore, it is an added advantage to
the country in terms of boosting investment opportunities,” he explained.
He said besides the TTB, three other
government institutions will represent Tanzania namely, Tanapa, Zanzibar
Commission for Tourism (ZCT) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA),
respectively.
The private sector will be
represented by 57 exhibitors, compared to 55 last year. Of the companies, 21
are tourist travel operators, tour operators and ticketing firms (30), 33 are
accommodation operators (hotel and camps - 24) while three of them are airline
carriers.
According to him, Tanzania will
occupy a single floor 288sq.m stand in the African Zone, closer to her
neighbouring East African countries including Burundi and Rwanda.
He said among the products to be
showcased are traditional clothing such as Maasai attire, food items- coffee
and tea, beer and arts and crafts.
Tanzania has participated in the IBT
Berlin for 19 years and its impact can be felt in the increase of tourist
visits in to the country especially from Germans. In 2012, the number of German
tourists in the country soared to 53,951 from 36,626, marking a significant 47
percent increase. On average, the Germans visit lasts 11 days, which include
tour of historic sites, museums, beach holiday in Zanzibar and national parks.
Germany is led by Italy, US and the
UK in terms of number of visits to Tanzania per year.
On the benefits of the renowned
travel trade fair to Tanzania, Meena said alongside selling safaris to
international businesspersons, the event offers a learning platform for latest
technological trends in tourism.
“The fair is not only about meeting
traders and selling tour packages or sharing expertise in the field but it’s
also about learning new strategies and technological business trends.
Before exhibition hours, we can have
seminars conducted by International organisations such as UNWTO which really
help us keep track of the latest innovations in the industry and how to
adjust,” he said.
Established in 1966, ITB Berlin is
the foremost business platform for global touristic offers with very high
exhibitor satisfaction (over 90 percent).
The exhibition will showcase
innovative and practical travel industry products.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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