Preparations are underway for Tanzania to host The First Pan-African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management in National P
Addressing a media conference in Dar es Salaam, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige, said his office had appointed a nine-member team of experts in the tourism industry to coordinate arrangements for the event held for the first time on the continent.
Hon. Ezekiel Maige, the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism
“The technical team draws its members from the Forestry and Beekeeping Division, the Wildlife, Tourism, Antiquities, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Ngorongoro Conservation Authority, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Zanzibar Commission for Tourism and other stakeholders in tourism and conservation,” Maige explained.
The establishment of the technical team under the leadership of the Director of Tourism, Ibrahim Mussa, explained the minister, was preceded by the event of signing an agreement between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in Berlin, Germany to signify general approval for the country to host the global convocation.
“The agreement was signed on March 9, 2012 during International Tour exhibitions held in Berlin and Tanzania was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Maimuna Tarishi and Dr Caleb Rifai for the UNWTO. The convocation will be held at the Arusha International Conference Centre between October 15 through 19, this year,” the minister clarified.
The event is considered to be of great significance to the local tour industry as the sector takes advantage of the opportunity to advertise the available tour destinations, services provided and learn about modern approach to sustain commendable quality standards of the industry.
He added, the ministry through TTB spent about USD 3.5 million annually to inform the world about the potential growth of tour industry but the anticipated international community provided a grand opportunity for Tanzania to promote all components of tourism. Neighbouring Kenya, for example, has a tourist promotion budget of about USD 30 million, nearly ten times of Tanzania while South Africa spends over USD 100 million for the purpose.
However, through establishment of Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) and the Tanzania Wildlife Services in pipeline, the ‘wheel’ will turn much faster. Among other strategies devised by TTB to promote tourism, said the minister, are identification of at least 12 major countries where tourists originate from an intensification of advertisement in those countries just to start with. Among the targeted countries are USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, China and Scandinavian countries.
“At least 50 countries are expected to take part in the convocation. We have a lot to learn from our foreign counterparts but they too have much to learn from us such as community participation approach in the management of natural resources, successful supervision of national parks (currently 16 in number), management of reserved areas, game reserves and the like,” the Director of Tourism, Mussa, explained.
By BILHAM KIMATI,