Arusha — Tanzania
cultural tourism stakeholders in partnership with Uniterra, a volunteer
services program from World University Services of Canada (WUSC), have
agreed to work together in a bid to attract English and French speaking
Canadian tourists to Tanzania writes ELISHA MAYALLAH.
"Exchanging smiles
with the people you meet on your travels can be the catalyst that turns
an average trip into an unforgettable one. And together, we can work
towards a world where each person has the opportunity to reach their
full potential regardless of where they were born," Geneveive Roy, a
volunteer from the Uniterra was recently in Tanzania to spread the word.
She was speaking during a marketing strategy workshop held in Arusha recently.
The workshop was attended by cultural tourism coordinators, tourism experts and volunteers from Canada.
To attract more
Canadians tourists, Roy encouraged that cultural tourism stakeholders
operating across the country have to re-connect, re-charge and
re-discover the sprawling vast areas, so as to attract many Canadians
tourists to Tanzania.
Last month WUSC
rolled out their volunteering services to the Tanzania Tourist Board
(TTB) to share experiences and strengthen the skills of the youth and
women working in the rural communities.
Roy was attached to
the Cultural Tourism Programme for two weeks in which she travelled the
breadth and length of various cultural tourism enterprises in the north
of Tanzania to experience first hand the wealth of cultural tourism.
Key points
included: Increase partnership with tour operators, have own initiate to
stimulate visits as part of mainstream tourism business, learn business
skills, produce impressive promotion materials with valid contacts and
reviewed when necessary, having the human resource that is
tourist-friendly, Forming partnership groups to develop syndicate
marketing outreach and learn and take advantage of the social media
platforms through the internet.
Canadian tourists,
according to Roy, are likely to stay a little longer in Tanzania and
enjoy the plenty of cultural activities and attractions located just off
the major routes. "If you have a few more interesting time with them to
explore some of the hidden travel gems of this amazing country and the
staying over for a night or two is possible," Roy said.
The cultural
tourism initiatives which are being promoted across the country by the
Tanzania Tourist Board through the Cultural Tourism Programme based in
Arusha. Its national coordinator Elirehema Maturo said already there are
registered 60 different cultural tourism enterprises while 92 awaiting
inspection and approval across the country.
Cultural products
and services that are offered to tourists across the country, include:
Homestays; cultural village tours, guided tour to explore natural
medicine plants, traditional dances, cultural visits, farm tours,
including coffee and banana plantations, local market tours, camping in
rural Tanzania, storytelling, local traditional court and more.
Gloria Lukumay from
the TTB in Arusha in her welcoming speech, stressed the great
importance to the stakeholders to learn and speak many international
languages, including those from the Far East such as China. China is one
of the emerging markets for Tanzania tourism. Spanish, German, French,
Swedish, Japanese are traditional markets therefore the need to master
their languages is critical.
"The conventional
tourism business need a significant collective response and reaching
them may seem daunting, particularly for the average individual. We are
far more likely to see the groundswell needed to meet the maximization
of tourists if our people learn many international languages and be in
the best position to take part in hosting them," Lukumay said.
Ms. Manu Mwaipopo,
the WUSC country director based in Arusha emphasized the need to help
the youth and women in Tanzania, in which many found in rural areas are
far behind in economic transformation.
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