Tanzanian tourist attractions lined up for top global awards
What you need to know:
- Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater along with Tanzania Tourist Board have been nominated for the 24th Annual World Travel Awards
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s tourism is set for a major boost as three of its attractions have been nominated for possible awards at a major tourism event that is slated for Kigali, Rwanda later this year.
The Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater along with Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) have been nominated for the 24th Annual World Travel Awards (WTA), the TTB announced at the weekend.
“Winners in different categories in the event will be announced at the event that will be held on Wednesday 11th October 2017, in Kigali….The event will welcome hospitality leaders and luminaries from across Africa,” the TTB said.
This comes at a time when authorities are reporting an increase in arrivals.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Parliament on Thursday, April 6 that Tanzania received a total of 1,284,279 tourists in 2016, an increase of 12 per cent from the 1,137,182 visitors who came in 2015.
The visitors brought in $2 billion (about Sh4.5 trillion) last year. The Bank of Tanzania Monthly Economic Review for however shows that Tanzania received $2 billion from tourism in 2015 and $2.3 billion in 2016.
According to the TTB statement, Serengeti National Park is competing under Africa’s leading National Park for 2017. Its competitors include Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve (Botswana), Namibia’s Etosha National Park, Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park, South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Maasai National Reserve of Kenya.
On the other hand, Mount Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro Crater are battling it out with Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza; South Africa’s Robben Island, Table Mountain and V&A Waterfront in ‘Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2017’ category.
TTB – a government entity that is charged with the function of marketing and promoting Tanzania’s as a unique destination - is competing under ‘Africa’s leading Tourist Board 2017’ against Egyptian Tourist Authority, Gambia Tourism Board, Ghana Tourism Authority, Kenya Tourism Board and Moroccan National Tourism Organization.
Others are Namibia Tourism Board, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Rwanda Development Board, South Africa Tourism and Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.
