Matema Beach: Locals urge increased government investment

Kyela. Matema Beach on the shores of Lake Nyasa has a plethora of tourism attractions, but locals have asked the government to invest more so that more people can visit the area.

They stated that the beach is now facing various issues, including the arbitrariness of tourists entering, which is robbing the council of revenue from the area, and that the price of guide visitors varies.

Kyela District Council tourism officer Noah Mbopoma told journalists yesterday that the beach offers various prospects, including boat tours, fishing, hotel development and several tourist attractions such as multi-coloured fish and natural caverns used during WWII.

 “We have a problem with the way tourists arrive; each guide sets their own prices, which produces confusion. We must be consistent, so we request that TTB and the government investigate how the country might boost the number of tourists visiting this beach,” he said.

 Mr Mwaipopo said that during the journalists’ tour in the southern regions organised by the Tanzania Tourists Board (TTB) under the Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth Project (Regrow), which aims at promoting tourism attractions within the areas.

 He added that more than 200 foreign tourists visit the area each year, while the number of local tourists is high.

Mr Ezekiel Makonotembo, a boat captain, said the beach helps people earn money because when local and foreign tourists arrive, they like to travel around with boats in the lake and marvel at the multicoloured fish, which is a good draw.

 He said despite the investment, the government has not given the area due priority, which is why guests arrive without formalities; this deprives young people of jobs as local tour guides.

 He added that if the business is good, he can serve between 200 and 300 domestic and foreign tourists who like to cruise by boat. If there were enough investment, the number would grow even higher.

 Mr Mkonotembo added that tourism on that beach has not yet been given priority; apart from boat tourism, there is also cultural tourism and there are women who make pots, but there is no massive investment in those areas.  A food vendor, Ms Rehema Mwandosya, said through the beaches, a number of women earn income by engaging in small businesses such as selling food and sardines.

She added that many tourists who visit the area like to swim and eat dry sardines in Lake Nyasa.

“We call on the government and stakeholders to invest in this area so that domestic and foreign tourists will visit the area,” she said.