TANZANIA is set to expand its visibility by showcasing and promoting its tourism attractions in the international market through the world's leading tourism trade fair, the Ferial Internacional de Turismo (FITUR).
The FITUR tourism trade fair is expected to take place between September 28 and October 01 in Bueno Aires, Argentina.
This comes after the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Angellah Kairuki met and held discussions with the top management of the Institución Ferial de Madrid (IFEMA) Company in Madrid, Spain, which is involved in the organisation of the FITUR exhibition.
Speaking on Monday at the meeting that took place in Barcelona, Spain, Minister Kairuki said that Tanzania's participation in the exhibition will extend its visibility and the country to be known more internationally.
"Our goal is to look at the best way to improve Tanzania's participation in this exhibition and promote it more in the international market," said Ms Kairuki.
She also assured the organisers that Tanzania is committed to continue participating properly in the exhibition and is ready to receive opinions and advice on how to further improve its participation to succeed in promoting itself in the international market, especially in Spain and Latin America.
Last year, Spain was ranked second as the most visited destination in the world, receiving 85 million international tourists, followed by the US with 66 million tourists, Italy with 57 million tourists, and Türkiye, which rounded out the top five with 55 million international tourists.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The IFEMA Company Executive Director, Ms María Valcarce, said that the FITUR exhibition is a large international tourism market that attracts around 152,000 participants, who are tour operators, various organisations and around 92,000 guests.
She also said that IFEMA is ready to collaborate with Tanzania to find the best way to ensure its participation in the upcoming exhibitions.
"We want to promote Africa through FITUR and bring Spanish people to know Africa and the entire tourism business chain," said Ms Valcarce.
Meanwhile, Ms Kairuki and her delegation participated in the 121st meeting of the executive council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) presided over by Spanish Minister for Industry and Tourism, Mr Jordi Hereu in Barcelona, Spain. While officiating the meeting, Mr Hereu stated that the UNWTO is accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030.
He said the move aims to establish an international framework for eradicating extreme poverty, combating inequality and injustice and addressing climate change by 2030.
"Implementation of this strategy has led to changes in the structure of tourism in Spain to promote more sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism," said Mr Hereu. As a full member of the UNWTO, Tanzania is also a member of the Organisation's Executive Council for the period of four years (2023 - 2027).
