Valentine Marc Nkwame
19 January 2008
Arusha — When it comes to rivalry in Africa's tourism industry, it has been found that Tanzania will actually have to worry about stiff competition from either Botswana or South Africa, but not Kenya, recent research findings have revealed.
A draft report from the recently conducted 'Tanzania Tourism Marketing Study' indicates that Tanzania has abundant natural tourist attractions far superior to Kenya's but faces stiff competition from Botswana and South Africa.
Sources informed of the study findings said the research documented in beefy manual, discovered several shortcomings in the Tanzanian Tourism Industry. The investigation covered practically all fields related to Tourism, travel and hospitality industry in the country.
It is the first ever tourism marketing study to be conducted in Tanzania since the country's independence more than 46 years ago.
The preliminary report findings show that Tanzania's tourist attractions portray a typical natural setting and genuine African ambiance in terms of its cultural backdrop, nature, wildlife and beaches, things described to be unique and not easily found in other parts of the continent.
Tanzania gets an average of 700,000 tourists per year and for decades the country has been trying to burst Kenya's flourishing tourism industry bubble which encloses over 1 million visitors per annum. Before the study Kenya had for many years been described as Tanzania's toughest competitor in tourism.
The Tourism Marketing Study which was launched in July 2007 and completed last December is set to be tabled before the technical team on January 15, 2008. The technical team comprises Tanzania Tour Operators Association, the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania and BEST-AC.
"It is still a classified document, the media cannot access it." Mustafa Akonaay the General Secretary for Tanzania Tour Operators Association said, adding that it will be made public only after (and if) the association council approves it.
This extensive study was initially aimed at coming up with bullet proof strategy to market the country's tourism potential globally while targeting at identifying and dealing with previously ignored weaknesses in the industry.
The extensive study took off in July 2007 at the cost of US$ 75,000. The preliminary report was completed by December 31, 2007. The Advocacy Component of the Business Environment Strengthening for Tanzania (BEST-AC) pledged a total of US$ 67,500 (90 percent of the total study project cost).
The Tanzania Tourism Marketing potential a study which is also set to identify the industry shortcomings and what to be done in order to double the current number of tourists visiting the country come 2010.
It is being estimated that, Tanzania is currently getting around 700,000 tourists per year, a small figure when compared to her immediate neighbor Kenya, who despite having very little to offer in terms of attractions, welcomes about 1.5 million visitors per annum.
Tourism stakeholders countrywide are expressing the other concern regarding "Why independent travelers usually do not want to visit Tanzania?" a fact which makes the country to be heavily dependent on the packaged visitors and pre-booked tourists, mostly animal gazers, heading for the Northern Zone circuit.
The World Bank which selected the tourism sector for analysis in the 2005 Diagnostic trade integration study (DTIS) will on the other hand, offer both technical assistance and the remaining 10 percent of the cost, in the initial study project, to be undertaken by the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators.
"The study is going to address our biggest problem which is how to identify, set the pricing and market for the vast range of Tanzanian tourism products," explained Mustafa Akonaay, He however said his association is yet to select a suitable consulting firm out of the several applicants, to undertake the project.
Initially, the Tanzania Tour Operators Association identified as the beneficiary of the project, was required to foot the bill for the remaining 10 percent of the cost that is before the World Bank came into their rescue.
The study is being driven by the fact that, Tanzania, despite having the highest Mountain in Africa (Kilimanjaro) the world's deepest lake (Tanganyika), the largest lake (Victoria), the legendary wildebeests migration on the vast plains of Serengeti, the all-time-wonder caldera; the Ngorongoro crater, about 12 National parks and historical sites of Zanzibar and Bagamoyo, is still a less known destination in the global tourism industry.
Thus the initial study is identify these products by type and price range as they are currently sold in the top 5 world markets which are; the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. The study is also to determine Tanzania's percentage market share of the total; Hunting Safari Market, Photographic Safaris and Beach tourism, within the Sub-Saharan Africa.
The final report is expected to include the country's potential in the usually, little mentioned, 'niche' tourism products such as Bird Watching, Mountain Climbing, Water Diving and Cultural tourism. The study will also identify the major competitors in each of the mentioned products including
How prices may compare with those of Tanzania.
Tourism is the second most important economic sector in Tanzania after Agriculture, with estimated direct foreign exchange earnings of US$ 786 million accounting for more than 25 percent of total export earnings and offering direct employment to 300,000 people. The industry was making up around 16 percent GDP in 2003.
Recent studies indicate that the tourism industry was recording a multiplier effect of up to 1.8 for every tourist dollar spent in the country. According to the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study of 2005, households that are involved in tourism have lower poverty rates than food crop producers, fish producers and mining sector households.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Arusha Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
