Tanzania’s tourism: Promises vs challenges

Kilwa. There is a lot of literature that provides evidence that Tanzania is endowed with abudant natural resources, some of which can only be found in the country.

However, despite this natural wealth, the country’s economy is still weak. The good news is that this economy has been growing at an average of 7 per cent for slightly over a decade now. The country’s tourism sector, though still in its nascent stage, seem to be very promising.

According to the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), in 2017, almost 2 billion tourists are expected to visit the country to enjoy its natural beauty and hospitality.

In 2012, the annual number of tourists visiting the country, for the first time hit the 1 million figure.

The number rose 1.7 per cent in 2013 to 1.095 million, bringing in $1.85 billion (Sh3.15 trillion). Most of the visitors came from Britain, Germany, the United States and Italy.

The deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, says the sector earned Tanzania $2.1 billion (Sh4.5 trillion) in 2016.

Statistics show that the sector contributed 13 per cent of the Tanzania’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012, making it a vital industry for the nation especially in job creation.

One of the main challenges is enhancing the participation of locals in enjoying the various attractions that are there in the country. TTB says domestic tourists are estimated at half a million a year with an annual growth rate of less than 5 per cent.

The Board and the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) are busy working on improving the number of local visitors, especially by creating special packages that will be affordable for Tanzanians.

Early in June, the Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mr January Makamba, working closely with the Natural Resources and Tourism, announced a three-day free entrance offer to national parks ahead of this year’s World Environment Day.

“This is aimed at promoting domestic tourism,” he said then.

However, the turn up among Tanzanians remains low.

Stakeholders in the sector are of the opinion that the low engagement by the locals could be due to lack of awareness on the many attractions there are in the country, hence the need to provide more education.

Recently, Fisheries Comanagement Project executant for the World Wildlife Fund in Kilwa District, Mr Thomas Chale told The Citizen that there were various adventures that can be enjoyed in the marine sector that if well advertised they can also contribute to national income through tourism.

“If we’re to properly promote these attractions in oceans and lakes and equip Tanzanians with knowledge, it is likely that more will take the initiative to exploit the wealth,” he said.

According to him, special ocean features that can attract visitors--foreigners and locals alike--are whale sharks.

The whale shark (in Kiswahili: Papapotwe) holds many records for its sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate. The species are also reported to have originated about 60 million years ago.

Contrary to their size whale sharks’ main food is plankton which are very small sea organisms that are mostly invisible to the eye. Planktons include bacteria, archaea, algae, protozoa and drifting or floating animals that inhabit, for example, the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. The mammals are found mainly in the Mafia Island as their permanent habitat in East Africa.

A few can also be occasionally spotted in Zanzibar. A few are also found in Kenya, Mozambique where they appear in seasons, as well as Madagascar and Comoro Islands.

Multitudes of tourists from outside Tanzania are reported to visit the country and stopover at the Mafia Island just to swim alongside the largest fish in the sea.

Looking at social media platforms and browsing through different articles published in various international sites it is evident that most foreigners wish for this experience while on the contrary Tanzanians aren’t aware of what they have in their country.

Tanzania also is graced to have dolphins and much more the existence of Humpback Dolphins which is the rarest species found in the western Indian Ocean.

The species was discovered in 2015 by the Wildlife Conservation Society-Tanzania (WCS) when they conducted a survey in the Pemba Conservation Area to establish the population of different dolphin species around the islands in order to aid conservation measures.

In a recent interview, Dr Gill Braulik, the head of dolphin research with WCS last year told The Citizen: “When we first started the survey (in 2015 along the Tanzanian coast) we didn’t even know that Humpback dolphins existed here, but the habitat was good. I was very relieved when we found them.”

The Humpback dolphins glide effortlessly in and out of the water, the hump by the fin visible. The excitement is tangible. These are the Western Indian Ocean humpback dolphins a pod of four and the most endangered of the dolphin species in the Indian Ocean.

Researchers have reported that Dolphins can generally live up to 30 years in the wild and are sexually mature at eight years old. They eat between 10-22 kilos of fish and cephalopods a day. They navigate by echolocation and also have excellent eyesight above and below the water. The eye is protected from the seawater with a layer of mucus.

In Kizimkazi, a fishing village near the southern tip of Unguja Island, it is possible for people to play with dolphins and use them for swimming. Menai Bay, which is around the village, has numerous Bottlnose and Humback dolphins, which receive a numerous number of tourists who visit to only swim with dolphins.

At Kizimkazi it is possible to see pods of around 15 dolphins forming herds of up to 100 dolphins.

Coral reefs are other interesting features to watch. Ecologists report the presence of about 700 species of reef-associated corals world-wide and 150 species of them are found in Tanzania. They provide food and shelter for living organisms like fish, crabs, lobsters, and clams coral reefs are currently subject to a wide range of natural and anthropogenic disturbances at different intensities and in varying combinations.

The other attractions are Mangrove forests. They consist of trees that flourish in salty, anaerobic and acidic soils. Mangroves grow in sheltered areas of brackish water, where freshwater mixes with seawater. These areas include estuaries, lagoons, bays, tidal creeks, and inlets.

The mangrove forests of mainland Tanzania cover about 115,500 hectares and those in Zanzibar cover 18,000 hacters led by Pemba Island that has 12,000 hectares. There are nine species of mangrove trees in Tanzania, though not all are found in every forest.

Mr Chale explained that these are few of the less known attractions of tourism which are known more to foreigners rather than natives.

A resident of Somanga Village in Kilwa, Mr Abdallah Mgeni urged the government and tourism stakeholders to primarily enhance domestic tourism starting with creating awareness and documenting all attractions which will likely build the culture of Tanzanians to visit the sites.

A recent report by Sea Sense, a non-governmental organization that works closely with coastal communities to conserve and protect endangered marine species including sea turtles, dugongs, whales, dolphins and whale sharks, explained that one of the biggest threats to the marine ecosystem and fisheries based livelihoods in Tanzania is dynamite fishing.

Dynamite fishing is an act of using explosives to kill or stun large schools of fish for easy collection. This fishing type is indiscriminate, killing many marine species with each blast.

Illegal and highly dangerous, dynamite fishing continues unceasing along much of the Tanzanian coastal areas, it is highly destructive and the long term effects are considerable, both environmentally and socio-economically. Poor licensing, distribution and management of explosive materials ensure that dynamite is readily available and affordable.

Recently, Sea Sense has received reports of dolphins being targeted by dynamite fishers to provide bait for the shark fishing industry.