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 By Lucas Liganga
The Citizen Chief Reporter
Dodoma. Stakeholders in Tanzania’s tourism industry say the recent choice of the Olduvai Camp in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as the best lodge in the world is a golden chance for the country to convince tourists across the world to visit Tanzania.
“This is good news because it helps the world to open its eyes about Tanzania, and at the same time it convinces the government to put more attention on tourism,” said the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ezekiel Maige, in an interview in Dodoma this week.In his congratulatory message, Mr Maige said: “The government should take advantage of this new development in the promotion of the tourism sector.”
The Arusha-headquartered Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) has said the country’s tourism industry stands to gain a lot after the Olduvai Camp was recently voted the best lodge in the world.
The Olduvai Camp built and owned by Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club was named the best lodge in the world by a French celebrated magazine called Hotel & Lodge at its annual awards ceremony at the Park Hyatt-Vendome in Paris, France, this January.
Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club, whose Chairman is Mr Gerard Pasanisi, is part of TAWISA Group and is on the scenic Olduvai Gorge within the spectacular Ngorongoro conservation area. Interviewed by phone from Nice, France, Mr Pasanisi said he had dedicated most of his life towards the promotion of Tanzania’s tourism, adding: “I knew that soon Tanzania would become the preferred tourism destination, thanks to the stability of the country, its efforts in wildlife conservation and the dynamism of the private sector.”
In a congratulatory message to Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club director Dennis Lebouteux, the executive officer of Tato, Mr Sirili Akko said: “Tato is very proud indeed for the Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club’s tireless efforts to promote Tanzania tourism industry overseas by providing the best quality services to clients.” Mr Akko said through Olduvai Camp success story Tanzania tourism industry stands to benefit in terms of positive publicity in the international arena. He said Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club justifies why the country should lobby and advocate more for the good course of the tourism industry and the private sector in general.
A statement issued by the magazine said its annual award event serves to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence of hotels and lodges across the world, especially in emerging markets.According to the statement, more than 450 industry professionals from around the world were invited to participate in the voting process that saw the Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club owned Olduvai Camp emerge victorious.Initially, about 60 lodges were selected worldwide to compete, with the final listing conducted by an independent jury of journalists, photographers and designers. In the end three properties made the final cut.
After Olduvai Camp, those that followed were, Molori Safari Lodge in South Africa and The Ranch at Rock Creek in the United States was third.An incredible harmony of shapes and colours, the Olduvai Camp stands out as a remarkable adventure in hospitality.
Set in an ideal landscape for history and art lovers, photo maniacs and walkers, the Olduvai Camp’s exterior is sleek with a unique combination of an “industrial” and a natural look.The stylish interior, however, is in direct contrast – offering a warm, inviting and comfortable feel, according to the competition organisers.
The Lodge’s chief editor, Ms AnneMarie Catellin le Du, said Olduvai Camp’s face-lift and the unique atmosphere of Olduvai gave it an edge above the rest. “This is a true recognition of the passion and commitment of Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club and a reflection of their owners’ long dedication to Tanzania,” Mrs Anne-Marie told The Citizen on Sunday.
On receiving the award, Mr Lebouteux said: “We are very proud and happy to have been chosen for this prestigious prize. I would like to thank the journalists and the photographers who came and made a superb job.”
He hailed Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority for offering a unique site, and all of Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club staff, camp team and all those who worked hard in Arusha to make Olduvai Camp to be the world’s best lodge.
“It is their dedication and loyalty that has contributed to where we are today,” he said in a statement.
Early last month, The New York Times selected Tanzania among 45 places for tourists to visit in 2012, saying: “Tanzania is coming into its own as an upscale safari destination”.
The New York-based newspaper said in its January 6, 2012, edition that Tanzania emerged number seven out of the 45 selected places to go in 2012. Reacting to the revelation, the TTB managing director, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, said that the selection of Tanzania among the 45 favourable destinations was a positive thing.“We have strategies in place aimed at making Tanzania among the most favourable places to visit,” said Dr Nzuki.
The New York Times quoted East African travel specialists, as saying that for the last several years, the number of tourists going to Tanzania has been edging up. Apart from Tanzania, other Africans countries picked by The New York Times as a place to go in 2012 were Morocco that emerged number 26 and Uganda which emerged number 33.
Last year, 782,699 tourists visited Tanzania earning the country $1.3billion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tourism now a top earner for the country
Tourism and Natural resources minister Ezekiel Maige told The Citizen on Sunday in an interview that the tourism sector was becoming a major exporting industry as it was second in annual foreign exchange earnings of $1.3 billion (Sh2 trillion) with the mining sector leading with annual foreign earnings of $1.5billion (Sh2.32 trillion).
The minister said: “We refer Tanzania’s tourism to a sleeping giant because the quality and uniqueness of our attractions cannot be matched in any way by our competitors.”
He said the country can make further strides by learning from initiatives such as Olduvai Camp’s to promote more attractions.
“When tourists visit Tanzania they get puzzled on learning about the abundant attractions on offer. We must make the world aware of these opportunities,” said Mr Maige.
He said in the distant past, tourism was not recognised as an economic sector, adding that only agriculture and the industrial sector were considered as the country’s economic engines.
Slowly, the tourism sector is now getting the needed attention making it the second foreign exchange earner after mining and second contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) of 17 per cent after the communications sector with 22 per cent GDP contribution, he said, adding that tourism was now a major export industry for Tanzania.
“The only problem is that we were not doing the right thing, and what’s required is very simple. We need to put more money in the tourism sector in order to plough back,” said the minister.
He said tourism promotion is allocated Sh10 billion a year while agriculture whose contribution to the GDP is only 6 per cent is allocated a handsome budget of Sh400 billion annually.
“If you look at how our competitors are doing such as Kenya with an annual budget allocation of $30 million and $100 million for South Africa, you will learn that our little promotion budget is a disservice,” said Mr Maige.
He said the task ahead for the government was to review its tourism policy which was currently based on low volume with high yield, a policy that is making Tanzania uncompetitive.
He said this policy was aimed at protecting wildlife in their protected areas such as national parks and game reserves that allowed only a small number of visitors lest they environmentally abused the biodiversity.
The minister said the focus now should be to come up with a policy that will cover other areas such as beaches, historical sites like the Zanzibar stone town, Bagamoyo ruins and Kilwa Kisiwani.
“Plans are also at advanced stages to introduce city tourism where tourists visit our cities in open buses. But currently this is impossible to undertake because of the congestion experienced in our cities, dirtiness of streets and insecurity,” said Mr Maige.
He added: “If these hindrances could be sorted out by the municipal authorities it is possible to introduce city tourism. I was in Dubai last week where tourists strolled in the city up to midnight unlike in Tanzanian cities where there are no street lights.”
He said another thing to address was the tourism budget issue and the need to make the Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) an independent entity.
“TTB is currently allocated $2.6million annually by the treasury as a tourism promotion subsidy but if all players in the tourism industry are charged one per cent tourism fee, TTB could instantly earn $130million,” said Mr Maige.
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