Tour operators opting for WTM

Tourists take photos of a male lion at a South African game reserve. Latest figures from World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) show that Africa attracted 62 million visitors in 2017, an 8 per cent year-on-year growth. PHOTO|FILE

What you need to know:

Between May 7 and 10 this year, thousands of buyers, exhibitors and government officials from across the world converged in Durban, South Africa, for the annual Travel Indaba where they showcased their products, at the same time exchanging their experiences and views.

Dar es Salaam. Tourism is one of the top foreign exchange earners for Tanzania today, bringing in close to Sh5.2 trillion last year. But, although there is relatively extensive promotional efforts overseas, little is being done to enable local tour operators to reach source markets overseas.

Between May 7 and 10 this year, thousands of buyers, exhibitors and government officials from across the world converged in Durban, South Africa, for the annual Travel Indaba where they showcased their products, at the same time exchanging their experiences and views.

Even as the Indaba attracted thousands, few Tanzanian companies were part of the exhibition – despite the country being endowed with tourist attractions that arguably make it second only to Brazil.

A reporter from The Citizen who attended the fair in Durban stated that few Tanzanian companies participated in the exhibition, doing so at their own expense.

Recent statistics from the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism show that the number of tourist arrivals in Tanzania grew to 1.3 million last year, up from 1.2 million in 2016. Tourism-related revenues also increased to Sh5.2 trillion in 2017, up from Sh4.6 trillion in the previous year.

Latest figures from World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) show that Africa attracted 62 million visitors in 2017, an 8 per cent year-on-year growth.

An exhibitor who attended the Indaba – and who spoke to The Citizen on condition of anonymity – said that the ‘quality’ of the Indaba this year has declined, as the number of participating tour operators does not match the number of prospective tourists who harbour an interest to tour Tanzania.

“Many people are going to the World Travel Market-Africa (WTM) in Cape Town because that is where they meet with ‘tourism buyers.’ We have come here (in Durban for the Indaba) just because we habitually do so every year,” he said – adding that the number of Tanzanian tourism companies that come to the Indaba is also dropping year after year.

Commenting on that, the managing director of the Arusha-based ‘Bee Eater & Honey Guide Safaris, Ms Rade Mushi, said “I have been attending the Indaba for the last three years, and I can say I didn’t get much business – although things went well at the World Travel Market-Africa in Cape Town.”

Ms Mushi said the WTM-Africa is known worldwide and potential ‘tourism buyers’ are aware of it – and, so, it is easy to do business there. In previous years, the Indaba was the biggest fair in Africa; but after the WTM surfaced in Cape Town, things have changed considerably.

“But, I still believe that 77 per cent of the Tanzanian tour operators who attended the Indaba in Durban this year have made some business because they met with people who honestly want to promote our country and who are truly interested in Africa,” said Ms Mushi.

The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) managing director, Ms Devota Mdachi, told The Citizen that the decision not to attend the Indaba this year involved all parties who had been participating in the Indaba for many years.

The parties asked the board to look into the possibility of attending the WTM-Africa event in Cape Town which they claimed was better than the Indaba.

“They told us that they had seen the quality and number of participants visiting the Indaba beginning to decline,” Ms Mdachi explained.

So, instead of Indaba exhibitors from Tanzania going to Durban for the Indaba, they decided to participate in the Cape Town WTM-Africa two weeks ago.

“We decided to go to WTM and, in that case, we couldn’t also show up for the Indaba because the costs were too high, while our budget is small. It was also for this reason that the number of

participants from Tanzania has been declining,” said the TTB chief.

The WTM has captured the interest of assorted exhibitors and traders from different parts of the world, some with very high standards of quality.

In that case, TTB is looking to enable more Tanzanian exhibitors to get value for their money, Ms Mdachi said.

Commenting on the matter, the TTB Research and Products Development Manager, Mr Gladstone Mlay, said Tanzanian participants at the WTM Africa event included 17 companies which attended under the TTB wing. Another ten did so under the Kill Fair, while twenty participated under their own steam.

“Businessmen want to go places where they can get business,” Mr Mlay said – somewhat enigmatically.