Kilimanjaro — Ambassadors representing Tanzania abroad who participated in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this year have been urged to convey a message about tourism attractions to their counterparts who represent their countries, necessary in boosting tourist flow into the country.
The Board of Trustees of the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Chairman General (Rtd) George Waitara gave the remarks over the weekend during the occasion to receive the climbers who ascended from Africa's highest peak, where they climbed as part of this year's 61st-anniversary celebrations of Tanzania. This year's climb involved some of the Ambassadors representing Tanzania abroad.
"It is a great pride that you participated in this exercise this year, go and be our country's representatives to promote this mountain and other attractions that are there through your counterparts who represent their countries in your respective stations of work; this will contribute to the increase of tourists in the country", he said.
He also urged the Ambassadors to go and organise with their counterparts who represent their countries where they (Tanzanian Ambassadors) are stationed so that they can join other Tanzanians to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in the next year's Uhuru Expedition so that they can go and announce Tanzania's tourist attractions in their countries of origin.
"We have the target of increasing the number of tourists visiting the country to five million come the year 2025," he said, adding, your participation in this exercise this year, is a big step in achieving the goal of getting five million tourists in the future.
In addition, he urged the relevant authorities to check the possibility of those who climb Mount Kilimanjaro writing a narrative of what they saw when they were on the mountain, which he said would also be a great attraction to others especially those who haven't climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
"Everyone who climbs Mount Kilimanjaro has a story to tell, there are others when you go up there you find that they have written on the rocks what they experienced while up there, some experiences you read up there are very interesting. If we create a book in which everyone will write his or her experience, we will be subject to information that will be an attraction for many to read and others will be interested in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro," he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Dean of Tanzania's Ambassadors, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, Ambassador Dr Aziz Mlima hailed the management of TANAPA for involving Tanzania's representatives in this year's exercise, whereby he said, the decision had given them the motivation to promote Tanzania and its attractions.
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"Our opinion to TANAPA and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism is to ensure that this exercise becomes permanent as it is one of the exercises that support the efforts of the Government in promoting tourism in Tanzania," he said.
Ambassador Dr Mlima congratulated the tour guides and porters whom he said he and his colleagues discovered that they were the main pillar for mountain climbers, whereby he urged the relevant authorities to ensure that they (guides and porters) get their rightful dues, because they are SelfStyled Ambassadors representing the nation, through the good and unique services they provide to visitors who climb Mount Kilimanjaro every year.
On his part, Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner Mr Nurdin Babu congratulated the leadership of TANAPA and other sponsors of the historic exercise whereby he promised the cooperation of the regional government in ensuring that the exercise becomes permanent due to its importance to the history of Tanzania.
"One of the efforts we will make is to ensure the continuation of tree planting exercise to improve the environment around Mount Kilimanjaro while ensuring that the environment is maintained and preserved so that the Kilimanjaro National Park continues to be in good condition," he noted.
During the climb this year, a total of 200 climbers took part in the exercise, whereby the leader of the climbing team Brigadier General Salum Mnumbe set up the National Flag at the highest peak on Mount Kilimanjaro on 9th December 2022, as part of the 61st anniversary of Mainland Tanzania.
