The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
17 March 2008
editorial
Tanzania has set itself the lofty goal of attracting at least a million tourists annually from 2010. The country has embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign beyond its borders to ensure that this goal is attained as planned.
Tanzania abounds in tourist attractions, and it should not be very difficult for the country to pull in at least a million tourists annually in the next few years. In fact, this is a milestone that was supposed to be reached years ago.
However, it must be remembered that an aggressive drive to market the country as a preferred tourist destination alone is not enough. It has to go hand in hand with the improvement of infrastructure and services in the hospitality sector.
We have to ask ourselves a few questions. How do our hotels compare with those in other African countries that are top tourist destinations on the continent? How accessible are our national parks, game reserves and other tourist attractions? How efficient and convenient are our airports and other entry and departure points? How safe do tourists feel when visiting Tanzania?
These and many other questions show that we need to do much more than just market the country if we are to double the number of foreign tourists in the next few years.
But promoting tourism should not be confined to attracting foreign tourists if we are really intent on ensuring that the sector plays a greater role in the economy. Domestic tourism seems to have been forgotten despite its huge potential for contributing to government revenue.
Tanzania currently boasts a burgeoning middle class, which should be the target in any campaign to promote domestic tourism. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism could come up with attractive packages for potential domestic tourists that could go a long way in filling the void during the low tourist season.
The future of tourism looks bright, but we have to play our cards right first.
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