Report from the Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE)

The first Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE) finally took off at the Milimani City Convention Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The event was organized by the Tanzania Tourism Board, a government agency mandated to help market Tanzania as a favourable tourism destination.

The first day of the expo was slow with limited support and organization from the organizers of the event, especially the TTB. The expo did not kick off proper until around mid-morning when there seemed to be a surge in terms of movement between the stands. However, it soon became clear to most of the exhibitors and the interested parties that the expo did not attract any hosted buyers, who are key determinants to the business agenda of the expo.

The expo attracted mainly Tanzanian exhibitors with other regional exhibitors being the South African Tourism Board, the National Tourism Office of Burundi and the Africa regional office of Tourism India (Incredible India) headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

However, the show lacked support especially from the all too powerful and very vocal Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), the main organizers of the already successful Karibu Trade Fair held annually in Arusha, Tanzania.

According to some of the exhibitors, this was a huge drawback for SITE which was further dented by the lack of international hosted buyers.

Many also found it wanting as to why the official opening of the event was held on the second day of the event as opposed to the first day of the expo. Probably it was as a result of the President’s schedule, but the fact that the TTB was holding a welcoming cocktail event for the exhibitors on the evening of the second day meant that the official programme was to kick off from the second day. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete officially opened the expo on the second day and toured all the stands before leaving.

While there of course seemed to be some teething problems with the event since it was the first one, the bombshell was dropped by one of the key persons involved in organizing and setting up the event when he openly complained that the TTB was not truthful in some of its statements when they said that they were hosting international buyers for the event while in actual fact there were not such buyers participating at the event. It was further learned that there seemed to be a rift between the TTB and TATO that resulted in TATO giving the expo a wide berth.

Said the individual: “TTB were/are obsessed with the international buyers that they don’t have. They want a trade show that mirrors the INDABA in Durban, South Africa and have consistently told the public and the media that they will be bringing in international hosted buyers, but I challenge you to show me even one international hosted buyer right here right now because there is none.

“If this event were hosted to encourage domestic and regional tourism first, then it would have been a success. However, there seems to be a multiplicity of things here and this event was forced upon by both the government through the TTB to take place. We feel that things would have been better if the organization was better focused. However, that is not to say that the exhibitors are walking home empty-handed, some have reported at least four business deals which is somewhat encouraging. But Tanzania should also work on a tourism development strategy that also targets the local and regional markets. Apart from Burundi and South Africa, no other regional tourism organization took part in this expo, and this does not augur well if regional integration and co-operation is to be addressed. We know that Kenya will be hosting a similar travel and tourism trade show in Nairobi, next week but at least they sent a representative to attend the Swahili International Tourism Expo. This shows solidarity. However, the rest of the regional members of the EAC did not send even a representative and this really shows just how much Tanzania seems to be isolating itself from the rest of the bloc.”

A senior industry official from the Tanzanian private sector, who wanted to remain anonymous also lamented the clear lack of regional co-operation and participation when it comes to certain areas especially in the tourism sector and while the government seems to show a lot of solidarity in regards to regional co-operation, it seems to be saying one thing, but does the opposite.

Said she: “As a Tanzanian, I say that we cannot work in isolation. Half of my business comes through Kenya and because of this, Kenya and other markets in the region are important to growing regional trade. This is also one of the reasons as to why I will be attending Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi next week because I need to not only engage with the clientele in Kenya, but also meet the hosted buyers that the Kenya Tourism Board has brought to Nairobi for the event. In all honesty, the Magical Kenya Travel Expo sounds a much better prospect in terms of new business since the international buyers are real and have actually come to Nairobi for the event.”

It remains to be seen just how viable and sustainable SITE will become in the years ahead. The Karibu Fair held annually in Arusha has been fairing very well and has string backing from the private sector who have invested heavily in the sector and really have a better understanding of what the industry needs to grow and develop. SITE has strong backing from the government through TTB, but seems to not have the support of the private sector.