opinion
By Elisha Mayallah
I
was recently lucky to join cultural tourism stakeholders in Arusha for
their international marketing strategy planning workshop. The workshop
was attended by cultural tourism coordinators, tourism experts and
volunteers from Canada.
A volunteer from
the Uniterra, a volunteer programme from the World University Services
of Canada (WUSC), Ms Genevieve Roy led the stakeholders in discovering
the finer points in a bid to attract English and French speaking
Canadian tourists to Tanzania.
This past 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.
Ms Genevieve was
attached to the Cultural Tourism Programme for two weeks. She travelled
to various cultural tourism enterprises in the north of Tanzania to
experience first hand the wealth of cultural tourism.
"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," said Genevieve.
The cultural
tourism initiatives are being promoted across the country by TTB through
the Cultural Tourism Programme based in Arusha. It's national
coordinator Mr Elirehema Maturo said already 60 different cultural
tourism enterprises have been registered across the country. About 92
are awaiting inspection and approval.
Cultural products
and services that are offered to tourists across the country, include:
Homestays; cultural village tours, guided tours to explore natural
medicinal plants, traditional dances, cultural visits, farm tours,
including coffee and banana plantations, local market tours, camping in
rural Tanzania, storytelling, local traditional courts and more.
The curtain of the
day was raised by Ms Gloria Lukumay, who in her welcoming speech,
attached great importance for stakeholders to 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.
"The conventional
tourism business needs 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 maximisation
of tourists if our people learn many international languages and be in
the best position to take part in hosting them," stressed Gloria.
Ms Manu Mwaipopo,
the WUSC country director based in Arusha said volunteerism offers a
powerful and realistic means to achieve the Global Goals. Volunteers are
recognized as being at the heart of achieving the goals - through
direct implementation, by sharing their skills, through engagement with
communities and individuals in their work, and by providing the link
between governments and citizens so there is accountability and
transparency in our efforts.
To attract more
Canadian tourists, Ms Genevieve encouraged cultural tourism stakeholders
operating across the country to increase partnership with tour
operators, have own initiatives to stimulate visits as part of
mainstream tourism business, learn business skills, produce impressive
promotion materials with valid contacts and reviewed when necessary and
tourist-friendly workers. Forming partnerships to develop marketing
outreach and taking advantage of the social media platforms was another
piece of advice.
Canadian tourists,
according to Genevieve, are likely to stay a little longer in Tanzania
and enjoy 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," said Genevieve.
Canadians bring a
wealth of knowledge and specialised abilities to volunteerism, yielding
strong impact within the Global Goals. Their valuable professional
expertise strengthens public institutions and supports fragile
communities; they deliver specialised services, transfer their skills
and expertise, and foster exchange of good practices; they serve as
brokers of engagement, connecting strategies and initiatives with
complementary and essential community voluntary action. For years,
thousands of skilled volunteers have committed to sharing their
expertise with partners around the world.
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