TOURISM has been one of the few major contributors to Tanzania’s economy. The sector employs 300,000 of the country 22m-strong workforce, one of the biggest employers in the private sector.
Tourism also contributes 17 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) totalling US$24bn, mostly in forex, (2011, official exchange rate).
By comparison, the much-touted mining sector dominated by
foreign investors contributes a measly 3 per cent of GDP, while Agriculture (the Cinderella sector of the Economy that’s usually marginalised by the Govt.) contributes 27.1 per cent!
The tendency has been for the relevant authorities (including especially the Govt. and its Ministries, Departments and Agencies) to focus upon capital-intensive, technology-oriented sectors like Mining and Telecommunications, while according benign neglect to labour-intensive, jobs-creating sectors like agriculture and tourism.
Lately, however, that scenario is changing for the better. The Govt. seems to be turning to agriculture, beginning with the 2009 ‘Kilimo Kwanza’ (Agriculture First) initiative to ostensibly create a green revolution in Tanzania by 2015! In that regard, though, private sector players aren’t left behind…
A salutary example of this is the tourism sector, for which an ‘International Marketing Strategy for Tanzania as a Tourist Destination’ (IMS-TTD) is rapidly gathering momentum. Spearheaded by the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT) under its National Chairman, Gaudence K. Temu, the Strategy isn't only well-documented and balanced…
Its implementation is also being carried out under public/private partnership (PPP) arrangements principally involving the Confederation and the Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB). Both are major stakeholders in tourism and stand to benefit immensely from its success…
So, too, will the country and its people benefit. PPP is the name of the game today and is proving quite effective across the world. In all fairness and without prejudice, it must be stated that while the Confederation brings together tourism stakeholders in the private sector, the Tourism Board as a Govt./public sector institution carries on its (official) shoulders the interests of the country and Tanzanians as a whole...
Maximising tourism revenues (no doubt via the strategy that’s already in place) is bound to improve the economy - and by extension, Tanzanians. In a Question-and-Answer session and a press statement widely published recently, TCT Chairman Temu outlined the Strategy and explained how it can best be made to work over time.
Crucial to that are ‘total commitment to supporting the Strategy,’ with all tourism players adopting it as their own baby; ‘rolling out a sensitisation programme to ensure all key institutions, public and private, are aware of the strategy and support it...’
Along with that is promoting via wide publicity and other means/methods Tanzanian tourism inside and outside the country. “If we continue to promote and advertise (the country’s phenomenal tourist sites and other attractions), as well as manage the industry well, then the sky will be the limit of tourism growth in Tanzania,” Temu says.
But then again, all that’ll come to naught in the absence of “well-coordinated, friendly policies and regulations that govern the (tourism) industry... These must be conducive and flexible enough to foster growth. They should also be capable of responding to changes in the market, with a clear and long-term vision to govern development of the industry…”
Other priorities which must be observed for the strategy to succeed include “development of tourism-related infrastructure, skills and human capital; ensuring the safety and security of industry operators and tourists alike; harmonisation and inculcation of modalities for better administration of tourism licences, levies, fees, etc…”
There’s more in like spirit in the strategy, which is still nascent, put in place only in November 2012 ― and it’s still too early to gauge its impact. But, if and when it works in earnest, we should see tremendous improvement in tourism-related businesses in particular and the country’s socio-economic daily life in general.
What Tanzania lacked was a comprehensive, coherent and strategic national tourism development programme which efficaciously linked Tourism Policy and Master Plan, as well as ensuring that all regulations are subjected to the Principles of Good Regulation developed by the Better Regulation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office…
Tanzania also lacked appropriate and coordinated private sector initiatives... Until now! The other industry-related factors are already in place, including especially phenomenal tourist attractions endowed upon us by the Almighty, Mother Nature and Father Time.
Kenya next-door doesn’t have as many and equally fabulous attractions. But it excels Tanzania in terms of international tourist arrivals (1.26m foreign tourists in versus 795,000 Tanzania) and revenues (US$1.62bn as against US$1.27bn for Tanzania!) This is largely due to superlative Tourism Development Strategy...
For example, while one of the world's leading tourist attractions, Mount Kilimanjaro (the world's highest stand-alone mountain at 5,895 metres/19,341ft) is in Tanzania, Kenyans actively promote it, much to their gain, saying 'Come to Kenya and climb/see Mount Kilimanjaro!'
Nowhere do they claim that the mountain is theirs! But, indeed, it's visible and climbable from there! Viva Public/Private Participation’s ‘Tourism Growth Strategy’ for Tanzania, I say… Cheers!
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