Tanzania invites Chinese investors to transport and hospitality sectors

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is inviting Chinese investors in the transport and hospitality sector as the East African nation seeks to capitalise on its close ties with the Asian economic giant to boost tourism.

The move, according to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources, Major General (rtd) Gaudence Milanzi, will help to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Tanzania.

“We need a plane that will fly straight from China to Tanzania. Further, we are inviting Chinese investors to build excellent hotels that will offer Chinese cuisines so that Chinese tourists feel at home while in Tanzania,” he said during the opening of a one-day meeting in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

The meeting was organised by the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) to review efforts made by the two sides in protecting game and promoting tourist arrivals.

The TTB Board Chairman, Judge (rtd) Thomas Mihayo, told the meeting that 120 million Chinese tourists visit global destinations every year but only 30,000 of them actually visited Tanzania in 2016.

The Chinese ambassador in Tanzania, Ms Wang Ke, said for years China was admonished for receiving ivory products but added that her government had banned the use of ivory products in support of world efforts to end game poaching. She also said China is determined to support Tanzania’s efforts to promote the national economy using various ways including tourism.

The meeting was attended by dignitaries including a Chinese cultural giant, Ms Hai Qing, popularly known as Maudodo, and conservationist Jane Goodall.