Women challenged to exploit untapped tourism chances

By Nice Mfinanga

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has a number of tourism-related opportunities that have not been exploited, an expert said yesterday, calling upon women to grab the chances.

An advisor for tourism services at a non-governmental organisation dubbed Wanawake 100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Women), Dr Theresa Mgobi, said this during a meeting for women in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the opportunities included activities associated with beach recreation activities, conference under the sea and information technology (IT).

Dr Mgobi said that through various international conferences held in the country, women can form their own groups and utilise the events to their economic advantages by providing various services like travel and natural foods among others.

They can also advertise their services through various networking platforms.

“Available data shows that as of 2019, 48 percent of tourists from the United States search for information on places they can visit via phone. On the other hand, 45 percent look for accommodation facilities using the phone. This means that if women services are well advertised, tourists from abroad can use them properly,” she said.

Dr Mgobi also touched on cultural tourism, explaining that if Tanzania’s rich cultural heritage was properly advertised internationally, tourists would come in large numbers in need of learning the ways of life of the country’s varied ethnic groups and their heritage.

The vice chairperson of the organisation, Ms Nangasu Warema, said in order to provide more education to women on the importance of tourism, the institution has decided to organise a conference that would highlight opportunities in the tourism sector and how they can utilise them to grow their fortunes.

“The conference is expected to be held on October 15 this year in Dar es Salaam and will be attended by approximately 300 women from various regions while the official guest is expected to be the deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mary Masanja,” she said.

She said that through the conference they would provide education to women on how they can use the internet to advertise their business to tourists arriving in the country.

“Awareness will also be created on how they will be able to use underwater tourism to create employment opportunities and even self-employment,” she said.