Tanzania to start the coming year 2007 to woo more tourists

Looking with hopes, Tanzania plans to double the number of inbound tourists to a million arrivals in the forthcoming three to four years. If successful, then this African nation could beat other leading destinations in the continent in terms of quality tourism amd higher tourist income.

Welcoming the year 2007, Tanzania had planned strong tourism marketing strategies that would attract one million tourists by the year 2010 nearly a double number from last years 612,000 tourist arrivals.

Tourism marketing and promotional plan released by Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) indicates that there has been a steadily growth in Tanzania's tourism among other African nations with new prospects that Africa will record a remarkable number of visitors outside its borders in few years to come.

"We are set to participate at least twenty three international tourism exhibitions, trade shows and promotional tours next year in our new plan to promote destination Tanzania", said Mr. Amant Macha, the tourist board's director of marketing.

He told eTN that his board (TTB) has been providing vital tourist information through a number of publications and media outlets branded with a theme of "Tanzania – Land of "Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar" .

"With such a positive marketing strategy, Tanzania will earn about
US dollars 1.5 billion in the year 2010, a sharp increase from the current US dollars 824 million earned last year", Mr. Macha said.

Tourism holds 17 percent of Tanzania's annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but TTB has planned to raise the annual GDP through tourism gains from its present figure to 25 percent by the year 2015.

Tanzania participation to global tourism exhibitions had attracted a number of airlines to open up offices in the country's capital of Dar es Salaam and some had increased their scheduled flights connecting key tourist market sources in Europe, South East Asia, Pacific Rim and South Africa.

Among key international airlines operating in Tanzania are the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which has opened up daily non-stop flights between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and Amsterdam.

KLM has been the most tourist friendly airline connecting Tanzania, Europe and the United States in its newly introduced Boeing 777 aircraft plying the route.

Ethiopian Airlines operates daily flights connecting Tanzania and other parts of the world through Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, while Emirates fly daily flights between Dubai and Dar es Salaam. Three out of its seven flights have stopovers in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kenya Airways has four flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Qatar Airways is an expected new comer to Tanzania starting its first flight on January 9th, 2007. Other airlines lobbying Tanzania's airspace are China Airlines, ETIHAD Airways of the United Arab Emirates and one Israeli registered airline.

By Apolinari Tairo, eTN Tanzania /Africa, DAR

December 29, 2006   Posted in: Africa