Tourism stakeholders asked to market Tanzania attractions overseas

Tanzania Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyarandu

Tourism stakeholders have been urged to use the newly established Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE) to link their businesses with the outside world that would later lead to market Tanzania as a tourist destination.
Tanzania Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyarandu said in Dar es Salaam this week during official launch of SITE that the move will serve as the best link between local and international business firms and create a unique platform to promote the country’s tourism overseas.
Nyarandu said that the SITE event is expected to be the first international tourism exhibition in the country to be held annually from 1 to 4th October of every year.
He said that the launch of the site focuses on the inbound and outbound travel to Africa while taking both the travel and trade exhibitions with a conferencing element that will focus on tourism, sustainability, conservation and other related issues.
“I urge all tourism enterprises in the country to use this opportunity and link their tourism businesses with the outside world, Nyarandu said, adding that this will increase the market for their products and services”  
He said the commercial capital Dar es Salaam has been strategically selected to host the fair given its geographical location, coupled with access to air transport, good infrastructure as well as having the required facilities like, hospitality industries to accommodate exhibitors.
According to him, besides promoting Tanzania as a preferred tourist destination, the expo will also link as many Tanzanian small and medium tourism enterprises as possible with international tourism markets
“It is a fact that many Tanzania tourism agencies operate as small-scale enterprises, with limited capital and inability to access the international tourism markets, Nyarandu said, adding that SITE and in particular the buyer of the host program will help to address this challenge,”
In February last year, the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) entered into partnership with Pure Grit Project and Exhibition Management LTD (formally known as Witch & Wizard Creative Pty Ltd) to establish an International Tourism Fair in Tanzania.
Pure Grit Project and Exhibition Management LTD is the company that manages the INDABA Tourism Fair, one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN