Let's extend Tanzania's hospitality to tourists

By Editor

11th March 2015

 

Editorial cartoon

Tourism, as we all know, is among sectors which earn vital foreign currency for Tanzania. Figures show that  in 2013 a total of 1,135,884 tourists visited the country, bringing earnings from the Tanzania tourism sector to an all-time high of USD 1.8 billion.

The country is endowed with many tourist attractions that include wild animals which are not found in any part of the world. It also has the tallest mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro which is 5,895 metres high. 

Thousands of tourists each year troop to Tanzania to scale the mountain whose unique feature is that it is snow-capped although it is situated in the Tropics where the weather is always hot.

In an effort to open international tourism markets, the Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) recently launched the first Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE). According to Devota Mdachi, Managing Director of the TTB, the launch of SITE will facilitate continued efforts to promote Tanzania as a preferred tourist destination and will connect Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMEs) with the international tourism market.

Many Tanzanian tourism agencies are small and have limited capital as well as ability to access to international tourism markets. SITE will, without doubt, help address this challenge.

Speaking recently at the International Tourism Fair, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, indicated that between 2002 and 2013 Tanzania registered a 50  per cent growth in international arrivals.

According to him, tourism is among few economic sectors in Tanzania growing strongly and driving its economic development. 

It is therefore important that Tanzanians work very hard to capitalise on the ‘top of mind’ awareness that previous efforts have generated for the country. As a nation, we need to make concerted efforts on strategies to promote our tourist attractions.

It is true that many Tanzanian tourism agencies are small-scale enterprises which have limited capital and ability to access to international tourism markets. It is therefore hoped that SITE will help address this challenge.

Undoubtedly, tourism is one of the few economic sectors in Tanzania growing rapidly, while driving our country’s economic progress. It is therefore important that Tanzanians work harder than ever to capitalize on the ‘top of mind’ awareness that previous efforts have generated for the country. As a nation, we should make concerted efforts on strategies to promote Tanzania’s attractions.

These should start right from the moment tourists enter into the country at airports, sea ports and border entry points. The country has many of these, considering that it has borders with landlocked countries of East and Central Africa.

Our ambassadors are the officials who man these points. They should treat well all people, especially tourists, coming to our country for they will have the first impression from them. 

If they do so no doubt tourists will be encouraged to come back again, but if they do otherwise it will not be surprising if they call it a day.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN