TANZANIANS have been urged to cultivate the culture of shopping in the supermarkets as a way of discouraging petty traders conducting businesses in restricted areas.

The traders have been resistant to every move despite frequent and sometimes brutal eviction by Dar es Salaam City authorities to clear the streets and pavements of unruly hawkers. Consequently, instead of the number of petty traders diminishing, it is on the rise not only in the central business district but also on the outskirt of the city.

The Temeke District Commissioner, Ms Sophia Mjema, said in Dar es Salaam over the weekend that purchasing goods in the supermarkets could discourage businesses in prohibited areas.

"It is high time for the city residents to cultivate the culture of buying goods from the supermarkets and other shopping centres," she said when officiating at the tourism promotion draw dubbed 'Talii na Uchumi' where more than 30 winners were picked.

She added: "If petty traders and hawkers do not get customers, they will not continue displaying their goods on the roadsides." Others hawkers, she said, block important passages designed for pedestrian use, thus rendering considerable difficulties in movements.

The Temeke DC challenged Uchumi shop to look at ways of blending the upcoming promotions with Temeke culture that would see many people taking part in the draw as well as in visiting tourist attractions. She said her district was endowed with unique assets and facilities and could be a huge revenue source if well developed and promoted for tourist attractions.

"We are happy to have the supermarket in our district because it not only provides employment to the youths but also a significant way of promoting domestic tourism," she remarked. The grand winner in the draw will have seven days fully paid stay at the Sea Cliff Resort & SPA Zanzibar while the others will have a four days rest in the hotels which partnered with the Dar es Salaam based Uchumi Supermarkets (T) Limited.

The hotels include Golden Tulip Dar es Salaam, Kijiji Beach-Kigamboni, Ocean Bay, Regency Park Hotel and JB Belmont. Earlier, the Director of Tourism, Mr Ibrahim Mussa, said the participation of the private sector as the engine of the economy in promoting domestic tourism has a far reaching impact to creating employments to the youths.

He said the winners picked at the draw would become ambassadors to other Tanzanians to visit the attractive sites. "It is important to push growth of domestic tourism due to the euro zone crisis that has in recent years adversely affected tourist arrivals in Tanzania," he said.