QUESTION: What are the motives behind this study tour for the first winners?
ANSWER: Thank you, before I respond to your question, I would like
to briefly explain to our reader and the general public that Tanzania
National Parks (TANAPA) launched these awards three years ago to
encourage local journalists to report more issues on conservation and
domestic tourism and their associated challenges.
You may recall that by the time when we got independence in 1961,
the population of Tanzania was almost nine million people where as the
total land mass was almost 900,000 sq kilometres.
Fifty years down the line, the population has swelled, currently
estimated at 48million people. However, the size of the land mass has
remained the same that is 900,000sq kilometres.
This means that there is more demand for land for settlement,
agriculture and pastoralists activities among many other economic
activities.
This situation has resulted for some people to encroach some of the
protected areas like the National Parks, Game Reserves and other Forest
Reserved areas.
So, it was from this grounds that TANAPA decided to establish these
awards to educate the society on how best Tanzanians can collectively
and individually commit themselves to efficiently and effectively
protect these natural resources of which five percent are in the
National Parks.
Tanzania has 16 National Parks and if you go around them you will
find out that almost every national park has been affected by
encroachment.
So we as TANAPA we have a role to encourage local journalists to
educate the general public on the value of these areas demarcated as
national parks and how best they could participate in their management.
According to statistics, these National Parks account for more than
98 percent the number of tourists visiting our country. In this regard,
the National Parks are those areas which by virtual of the law of this
country have been legally set aside and recognised as national parks.
The easiest method to let people understand the importance of these
national parks is to encourage local journalists to use their
respective print and electronic media to write, broadcast and document
more on the conservation and promotion of these national parks.
The second motive of taking on this study tour is that the level of domestic tourism in the country is still very low.
Almost 99 percent of all tourist visiting our Tanzania’s National
Parks are foreigners, only one percent is locals. With this one percent,
still students are leading and this is because in the past we used to
give them free entry permits into the National Parks.
So, TANAPA has launched the campaigns to have more locals visiting
our national parks. People should change their habits and take time with
their families to visit our tourism attractions.
Q: So, what measures has TANAPA taken to encourage domestic tourism among the locals?
A: First of all we have set aside a reasonable park fee. For
example, for the adults the entry fee is 10,000 to 50,000 Tanzanian
shillings per person per day.
There are also accommodation facilities in most of the parks where
we charge between 20,000-50,000 Tanzanian shillings per person per room.
However, despite setting this low amount which is also equivalent to
some of the hotels one could be accommodated in urban areas such as
towns yet the trend is not that much rosy.
This has been in the conclusion that it is not a matter of cost but culture that limits locals from visiting the attractions.
For example, in recent years, there are many youths and other age
groups better well off constituting middle class income but they would
spend their money in roasted meat ‘Nyama choma’, alcohol and other
entertainments rather than visiting our tourists attractions to enjoy
themselves especially the wildlife and other natural resources of our
nation.
So, TANAPA would like to change this attitude so that these locals
can relax in our national parks as such we use the media as one of the
technique to reach more people since it covers big area.
This year, the first winners from three categories are Gerald
Kitabu from The Guardian Newspaper, popularly known as the home of great
newspapers under IPPMedia after scooping the first award in domestic
tourism.
Another journalist who also scooped the first award in conservation
category is Vedasto Msungu from ITV also under IPPMedia is David
Rwenyagira from Radio-5 in Arusha who emerged the first winner in
conservation category.
While in South Africa, the winners are currently visiting
historical sites such as the Apartheid Museum, and Soweto where Nelson
Mandela and other South African freedom fighters lived.
They will also visit Hector Peterson museum, Pillannesburg Sun
City, the Pretoria-the capital city of South Africa, and Lesedi cultural
village.
The winners will also get an opportunity to visit some of the
International Radio Stations like BBC, and SABC, SANEF, the Mail &
Guardian and the famous South African Kruger Park among many others
tourists attractions.
In all these South African tourists’ areas, the winners will get an
opportunity to see for themselves and exchange ideas, experiences and
knowledge on how best they can use South African experience to promote
tourism in Tanzania.
Q: Looking at Kruger Park and Serengeti for example, how do you compare them in terms of potentialities?
A: In fact what we have in Tanzania are wonderful National Parks in
both potentialities, different animals and plant species. Take an
example of the famous Serengeti, it has more to offer than Kruger Park
but what I see here is that Kruger Park is marketed more than Serengeti
that’s why it attracts more local and international tourists.
Q: Why shouldn’t we invest in such market strategy to promote them just like the Kruger Park?
A: Yes, we need to invest more in the issue of marketing. The
Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) is the legal entity mandated to marketing
our National Parks in Tanzania but frankly speaking the TTB is
financially handicapped.
The financial resources or the budget allocated to TTB does not
reflect its sole responsibility to efficiently and effectively market
our national parks. Example, the budget for the South African Tourism
board is almost ten times than Tanzania’s TTB. Likewise in Kenya’s
tourism board, the tourism board is six times than Tanzania tourism
board.
In this regard, you would not be surprised why South African Kruger
Park is so popular than Serengeti despite its all massive
potentialities.
Q: The winners have been surprised on the influx of the big number
of local tourists in South Africa’s tourism attractions, why do you
think so?
A: As I said earlier, one of the reasons is the good marketing
strategy, but also it is due to historical background of this country
which spent hundreds of years in Apartheid.
In the past it was only the whites visiting the national parks
because of apartheid policy and the high costs involved. These whites
had good financial liquids to spend anywhere in the world than blacks.
So, today, South Africa is free, the blacks are free, they are now
anxious and eager to visit these tourists attractions than any other
time in their history to appreciate and learn about the beauty of their
nation including these national parks.
The higher level of economy compared to Tanzania is also contributing to more local tourists in South Africa.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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