Tanzania: Arusha City On the Wings of Kilimanjaro

Arusha — NATURAL Resources and Tourism Minister Lazaro Nyalandu during last week's launch of Air- Tanzania's Arusha-Zanzibar route. (Photo by Marc Nkwame

THREE, different, yet some- how related, incidences occurred last week; the trio had something to do with air travel, tourism and trademark branding, with all events spawning two countries and eventually getting linked to Arusha.

It all began with the country's national carrier, 'Air- Tanzania', which decided to re-introduce those special flights connecting Arusha City and Zanzibar island, being part of the company's expansion plan to network as many local destinations as possible.

The carrier started it all by promising six frequencies a week to the two destinations but of course, via Dar es Salaam and the reason behind this move became clear when the Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Mr Lazaro Nyalandu was dragged in to grace the event.

Arusha happens to be the wheel spinning town for the country's travel industry as it is the hub which pivots the Northern tourism Circuit comprising of the legendary Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park, among other destinations.

Last year, Tanzania received nearly 1.2 million tourists and nearly 90 per cent of these, mostly foreign visitors, were destined for the Northern parts of the country, targeting wildlife gazing game drives and mountain trekking that are the main menu for the country's tourism bouquet.

Featuring the longest coastline stretch in East Africa, Tanzania's mainland unfortunately hasn't been able to utilize the Indian Ocean waters for tourism and as the result the country's beach tourism is concentrated in the Zanzibar Islands that have been attracting 'sun- and-sand' lovers from mostly Italy and South-Africa.

It was therefore a proper strategic plan for the rather ailing Air-Tanzania Company Limited to link Arusha and Zanzibar six-times a week using its 50-seater Bombardier Dash-8 to ply this lucrative route, thus explaining the presence of Minister Nyalandu at the flights' launch.

But just across the border, Kenya Airways, the neighbouring country's larger- than-life national carrier was making similar announce- ments; apparently KQ is also planning to link Zanzibar with Nairobi through newly introduced direct flights set to spread wings from next June.

Kenya was already far ahead in Beach Tourism along its coastline but recent terrorists attacks in the country have made visitors think twice before booking flights to Mombasa. Not to be out- done, the East African doyenne of travel industry now plans to sell Zanzibar.

But that was not all; Kenya Airways has started to brand its large air crafts with names of Tanzanian tourism features such as 'Mount Kilimanjaro' and 'Serengeti,' titles that were previously used on 'Air Tanzania' planes before the latter started losing its machines.

Kenya has always been regarded as Tanzania's major cut-throat competitor in tourism and at one time the country was even accused of 'selling' Kilimanjaro abroad as if the mountain was in Kenya and not Tanzania.

Now Kenya's move to paint 'Mount Kilimanjaro' name onto the sides of Kenya Airways' giant air crafts is also being treated as another assault onto its Southern Neighbour, whose national carrier has been ailing for years.

Besides, Air-Tanzania has been using 'The Wings of Kilimanjaro' as its operating motto for years and now the company has to fight hard for the right of the name because when parked at any airport, its rather small planes will be getting dwarfed by Kenya Airways' leviathans that are also using the 'Kilimanjaro' tag.

But something else was yet to come from Tanzania's Northern neighbour; President Uhuru Kenyatta announced over the week- end that his government will be scrapping VAT (valued added tax) from air tickets, a move which will make flying into and around Kenya extremely cheap.

With air travel costs ac- counting for 60 per cent of the total tourism packages, it leaves little to imagination on how competitive the Kenyan travel market is now going to be, at least price-wise, when compared to what Arusha has to offer.

For many years Arusha, in addition to selling Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks, the city was also peddling Zanzi- bar and before Air-Tanzania thought of linking the two destinations, other flight firms such as ZanAir and Regional Air, were already flying the route.

As development goes however, Kenya through new KQ flights and aided with slashed air-ticket pricing, is clearly set to start selling Zanzibar at bargain prices aboard planes bearing 'Mount Kilimanjaro' and 'Serengeti' emblems.

The tourism season for both Kenya and Tanzania begins in June, or at least is starting this week, with the former fighting hard to persuade foreigners to land there despite recent series of terror- related bombings. United Kingdom recalled its more than 300 citizens who were in Kenya to fly back home following the attacks.

It is clear that many visitors who were previously destined for Nairobi may now opt for Arusha and already players in the tourism sector here where over 300 tour companies operate are warming up for the windfall.

Maybe it is alright for any 'Kenya Airways' aircraft to be branded with 'Mt. Kilimanjaro or Serengeti' monikers, because, after all, they will be making many trips bringing tourists to Kilimanjaro Airport than at the Jomo Kenyatta International... the perfect 'Wings of Kilimanjaro!'