Boosting Tanzania tourism through PPP

The government in Dar and other stakeholders in the country’s tourism and travel business have come together in a concerted effort to promote Tanzania as the prime, preferred tourist destination at the international level.

After nearly two years of consultations spearheaded by the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT), the participants came out with a study titled ‘International Marketing Strategy for Tanzania as a Tourist Destination.’

If the Strategy works and there’s no earthly reason why it shouldn’t work out then Tanzania will have two joyous reasons to celebrate. One: the country should see considerable increase in the number of tourist arrivals over the 5-year lifespan of the Strategy and beyond. This would, of course, translate into increased tourist dollars and other tourism-related socio-economic goody-goodies.

The other benefit of the Strategy would be concrete evidence if such proof were still needed and by demonstrating the efficacy of the relatively-nascent scheme of things known in the trade as public/private partnership (PPP, or P3).

Briefly put, this is an arrangement whereby a government service or private business venture is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies.

As already noted, this particular Tourism Marketing Strategy was born of the state-owned Tourist Board under its very able chief executive Dr Aloyce Nzuki, and the Tourism Confederation, chaired by the equally-able Gaudence Temu.

TTB was established under the 1992 Tanzania Tourist Board Act, its main function being to promote and develop all aspects of the tourist industry in Tanzania. Its vision is that ‘Tourism becomes Number-One contributing sector to GDP by 2025.’ Its mission is to promote sustainable tourism domestically and internationally through innovative and dynamic awareness-creation in order to contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Tanzania.’

Established in 2000, TCT’s missed to ‘shape the direction of (Tanzania’s) tourism industry by building and developing a prosperous and responsible tourism sector through innovative and visionary leadership and partnership with our members.’

The Strategy is a noble effort by Tanzania’s own sons and daughters of the soil, ably aided by well-wishers. But, this alone won’t make it a resounding success on the ground. That’s unless and until… Well, let’s get it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak!

“Joint efforts by both the private and public tourism sector (operators) are needed to develop and implement the new International Marketing Strategy,” says Dr Nzuki, speaking at the launch of the Strategy in Dar last February.

“Key stakeholders in the public and private sectors must own and honour the strategic choices made in the Strategy. We’ve to look at our own organisational structure, and to the partnerships, to see how it can and should be further improved to best effectuate the Strategy.

“We must work together to increase the marketing budget in line with the economic importance of international tourism, and in line with our main competitors. Only then can we improve our competitive position and increase international tourism to Tanzania,” Nzuki stressed. [The Guardian-Tanzania: Feb. 12, 2013].

Therein lies the crux of the matter…

Although the Strategy was birthed by TTB and TCT in the main, key players in both the public and private sectors must get together, with each and everyone playing their part to the hilt for meaningful and sustainable success of the Strategy.

Anything short of that, and the Strategy won’t be worth the paper it’s written on let alone the funds, time, energy and other resources spent on it!

In other words, the government must especially make thorough follows-up of the Strategy, if only because it was arrived at through public/private partnership, a policy it professes to be the scheme of things today. For this, an unwavering political will and commitment is crucial. The overriding and underlying objective should be to market ‘Tourist Destination Tanzania’ as an inclusive, unforgettable experience, going the extra mile.

beyond the hitherto accustomed ‘Land of Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar,’ that does not tell it all... Cheers! [[email protected]].