Tanzania's tourism gains recognition

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has been named second in Africa in terms of tourism performance after attracting a remarkable number of visitors.

The tourism industry was hit by Covid-19 but renewed investment and the Royal Tour documentary prepared by the government, have helped to recover the performance, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Permanent Secretary, Dr Hassan Abbas.

The number of tourists increased from 250,000 in the first quarter of 2022 to more than 400,000 between January and March this year, prompting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to rank it second, after Ethiopia.

“This is a very good step in the tourism sector because we have come out of Covid-19 and soon we will release fresh data on the number of tourists for the half-year. We continue to thank Tanzanians for continuing to invest in the tourism sector, many good things are coming,” said Dr Abbas when briefing journalists on the outcome of Africa tourism conference held recently in Mauritius.

He said Tanzania has also been appointed vice-chairman of the UNWTO and a member of the council for preparing policies and plans for tourism in the world.

Speaking at the event, director of tourism from the ministry, Dr Thereza Mugobi said at the meeting that Tanzania has learned many issues that can help revolutionise tourism.

Such issues include investing more in tourism infrastructure and increasing the involvement of the private sector.

“Mauritius has made serious development in beach tourism and it also works with the private sector very closely. The private sector always conducts tourism research and shares recommendations to the government. In Tanzania, we also work with the private sector but we need to invest more,” she said.

Dr Mugobi also said that the issue of hospitality is important in order to make tourists come back for leisure.

During the event, Dr Abbas also announced a new six-member board of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).

The team contains members from both the private and public sectors, with Ambassador Ramadhan Dau appointed chairperson.

Dr Dau filled the gap left by (retired) Judge Thomas Mihayo after his tenure ended last year.