THE government has on various occasions invited the private sector to
enter into creative partnership with public institutions to promote
different development undertakings.
Chibite Safaris Limited, a local firm, has taken the cue from the
state-owned Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and says it is partnering to
promote the fledgling domestic tourism sector until success is visible,
according to the company's Chief Director, Ms Renalda Paul Tenga.
"We are encouraging Tanzanians to take advantage of various natural
tourist attractions for escape and leisure after hard work. The plan
worked very well in December, last year, when we sent 200 NBAA seminar
attendants into Manyara National Park after their marathon sessions at
AICC," the Chief Company Director said.
This is in line with the Tanzania Tourism Policy which calls for
private sector participation in the industry, she said. The company has
introduced domestic tourism packages that contribute both to the wishes
of the national tourism policy which encourages the private sector to
participate in the tourism industry and to her company's desire to
render service.
To achieve this objective the company has directed a lot of effort
toward securing affordable world class tour programmes for Tanzanian
nationals in the northern, southern and the coastal tourist circuits,
she said.
The programmes for nationals have been designed to combine best
attractions, affordable accommodation, visits to historical sites and
calls on diverse cultures that Tanzania offers. The company envisages to
influence Tanzanians to become tourists in their own country-to enjoy
the leisure of the country's Natural Heritage which are diverse.
Chibite Safaris has taken the lack of domestic tourism awareness to
be a gap which needs filling, the Chief Company Director said. "We have
developed a long term plan to fill this gap through promotion of
domestic tourism," Tenga said in an interview.
"We have placed special focus on conference participants and other
groups." To make this plan workable the company has designed affordable
and attractive packages for local Tanzanians in groups which suit most
of corporate and individual clients - especially those attending
professional workshops, conferences and training workshops throughout
Tanzania.
Special attention is focused on attendants of national and
international conferences in Arusha - for Northen Tourist Circuit - and
in Dar es Salaam - the Southern Tourist Circuit. Last year, the National
Board of Accountants (NBAA) invited 1,800 accountants from across
Tanzania to the NBAA Annual Conference at the Arusha International
Conference Centre (AICC).
This was a three days workshop from December 4-6, 2014 where various
professional presentations were given for a new understanding of audit
queries, fiscal framework and tax accounting gap analysis, critical
thinking and professional skepticism in accounting and the problem of
corruption.
After this workshop a group of over 200 accountants visited the
Manyara National Park on the fourth day for leisure and natural
resources exploration with Chibite Safaris Limited.
The company Head of Marketing and Sales, Mr Suleiman Dominick,
applauds the many tourist attractions in the northern tourist circuit,
which include Mount Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru, the Serengeti, Manyara
National Park, Tarangire, Ngorongoro crater and Arusha national park.
The southern circuit, which includes Mikumi national Park, Selous
Game Reserve, Ruaha and Udzungwa Mountain National Park are equally
attractive destinations for domestic tourism, Dominick said. "Very few
Tanzanians have visited these places although they are in our country,
the Head of Marketing and Sales said.
Government intends to lower almost all necessary tour expenses
including accommodation, attractions fees and park entry fees," he said.
TTB is encouraging promotion of domestic tourism instead of depending
solely on foreign tourism. The board argues that by promoting domestic
tourism the country will enhance non-seasonal tourism activities and
this will increase the national income from the tourism sector.
One of last year's NBAA annual conference coordinators, Mr Fidel
Mufuruki, said "The trip to Manyara National Park was excellent value
for money.
We got what we wanted. There are many people in our country who have
never seen some animals in real life. We got to see animals such as
elephants, giraffes, antelopes, buffaloes, lions and some species of
birds and we explored nature. It was a very memorable experience."
The Chief Company Director said, "My company envisions a future in
which most Tanzanians will be tourists in our country to enjoy what the
beauty and natural heritage of our country.
People travel from countries and continents to come and enjoy what we
have here, while we watch and cannot take advantage of all the tourist
attractions available in this country because of our belief that tourism
is for foreigners, expensive, a wastage of money, etc.
It is time we change these attitudes and beliefs, visit our tourist
attractions and contribute to national economic development through
domestic tourism," she said.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in Tanzania and the
world at large. It has achieved the phenomenal average growth rate of 15
per cent annually in the last 10 years. The flow of foreign tourists
into the country has kept increasing steadily in the last 17 years since
liberalisation of business in the tourism sector in the late 1980s.
Currently tourism plays a vital role in Tanzania's economic
development. It contributes about 16 per cent of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and about 25 per cent of the foreign exchange earnings.
It also contributes about 14 per cent of total investment and offers
employment opportunities to over 300,000 people, according to the
Tourism Policy document. The company's Head of Marketing and Sales said
tourism is one of the world's largest industries where global revenues
account for over 10 per cent of world Gross National Product (GNP).
In Tanzania, the improvement of services in the industry after
privatisation as well as improvement in other linked sectors such as
road and air transport which have become more efficient in handling
tourists have enriched the sector. The traditional Northern Tourist
Circuit extends from Kilimanjaro Region to Arusha and Manyara regions.
This tourist zone is endowed with the most glamorous tourist
attractions that are renowned all over the world. The northern circuit
contains the 610 meters deep Ngorongoro Crater with a diameter of 20 km
and the historic archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge popularly accepted
as the Origin of Mankind.
Dominick said Chibite Safaris tour packages include climbing Mt.
Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, visiting the parks, visiting cultural
attractions, etc. Other services in the packages include daytime walking
treks, holiday excursions to national parks, cultural tourism and bird
watching.
Tanzania also contains the so-called "Eastern Tourist Circuit" which
includes Pare and Usambara mountains, Mkomazi and Saadani National
Parks, the coastal area and the islands of Mafia, Zanzibar and Pemba.
The exotic islands of Zanzibar and Pemba islands are nestled in the sun
and easily reached by a 20 minute flight or one hour sail by boat from
Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania mainland has more than 850 kms Indian Ocean coastline, which
extends from Vanga on the Tanzania-Kenya border to Mwambo on the mouth
of the Ruvuma River close to Tanzania's border with Mozambique.
This is the longest and most unspoilt of the African coast: a
coast-line blessed with beautiful, uncrowded palm clad beaches and
undersea coral gardensmany within easy reach of Dar es Salaam.
The Dar es Salaam urban waterfront also faces the smaller islands of
Mbudya, Bongoyo, Kendwa and Sinda. There is also the Island of Mafia, a
40 minute flight to the South of Dar es Salaam over the ocean - a
locality described by some writers as one of the most exciting big game
fishing and scuba-diving locations in the World.
To complement this array of incomparable attractions, there are
pre-historic sites, rock paintings, ancient towns, mosques, palaces,
together with the folklore and artistry of some tribes, which offer the
richest of African tapestries to international visitors, but which the
domestic tourist also has freedom to enjoy.
Tanzania has a fast growing population of young individuals with
middle to high income, often adventurous, young executives, successful
professionals and up-coming business people seeking holidays. But there
are also retirees from both business and office work who need places to
relax and to unwind.
"Let's explore and experience the natural human medicine, existing
since the beginning of the universe, the nature," the company's Chief
Director, Renalda Paul Tenga said.
"We have introduced a product mix to cater for conference and
workshop attendants. We believe it will be an opportunity for them to
leisure and appreciate the natural heritage of our country."
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