IT’S TIME WE PROMOTED AND EXPLOITED URBAN TOURISM

As Tanzania seeks to boost tourist arrivals in the wake of the devastating impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic, one area that has apparently been overlooked is the potential of urban tourism.

With the possible exception of Zanzibar, urban tourism is virtually non-existent in Tanzania. This is in stark contrast to other African countries with which Tanzania competes for foreign tourists.

It is time Tanzania diversified its portfolio of tourist attractions to include sites in urban areas such as Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Tanga and Mbeya

It is generally agreed that Tanzania has the best national parks and game reserves in this part of Africa, not to mention other world-renowned attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro and the pristine beaches of Zanzibar. However, these need to be supplemented with attractions in urban areas that have hitherto not been exploited.

In Dar es Salaam, for example, there are still many places that tourists visiting the country for the first time would like to see despite the frenzy that has seen many historical buildings being demolished to pave the way for new structures in recent years.

Tourist attractions in the metropolis include the port and historical sites such as Karimjee Hall, Uhuru Stadium and the house in Magomeni that Tanzania’s founding President, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, used to live in during the 1950s.

The need to explore all options in Tanzania’s quest to attract well over two million tourists annually cannot be overemphasised, particularly at this time when the world is struggling to shake off the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In tourism, it is quite in order to learn from your rivals. Tanzania could take a leaf out of South Africa’s book as far as urban tourism is concerned. Almost all major cities in South Africa also serve as tourist attractions, earning the country hundreds of millions of dollars annually in tourism receipts.

STEM NEEDLESS LOSS OF WATER

Water spouting from broken or poorly installed pipes is a common sight. As a result, only a faction of the water supplied by public utilities actually reaches consumers.

The problem with water that is lost before reaching consumers is that nobody pays for it. This explains why there are pools that never dry in many residential areas that are lucky enough to be constantly supplied with water.

In areas where water is rationed, one just has to see it flowing freely from damaged pipes onto roads to know it is their turn to get the precious liquid. Few consumers connected to water mains bother to report broken pipes carrying the commodity to their homes for the simple reason that they don’t pay for water that is lost before going through their meters.

Consumers and public utilities all have a key role to play to minimise water loss. While water supply firms have an obligation to maintain their infrastructure, the least that is expected of consumers is to report broken pipes so that they can be repaired immediately.