TANGAZO KWA UMMA: MALIPO YA KODI YA THAMANI (VAT) KATIKA SHUGHULI ZA UTALII

Sheria ya Fedha ya mwaka 2016 (Finance Act) 2016) inaelekeza kufutwa kwa msamaha wa kodi ya ongezeko la thamani kwa shughuli za kitalii.

Shirika la Hifadhi za Taifa Tanzania (TANAPA), linawajulisha wateja wake wote kuwa kuanzia tarehe 1 Julai 2016, litaanza kutoza kodi hiyo kwa kiwango cha asilimia 18 kwa tozo zote zitakazolipwa kwa huduma mbalimbali.

        Limetolewa na:

MKURUGENZI MKUU,

HIFADHI ZA TAIFA TANZANIA,

S.L.P. 3134,

ARUSHA.

Barua pepe: dg@tanzaniaparks.go.tz

Tanzania's Unsung Tourism Nugget

By Raymond Ishengoma

For residents and visitors to Mwanza City, in northeast Tanzania, there may not be a place in the city and its neighbourhoods which could outmatch Kageye historical village as a tourist destination.

This is, an ideal spot for family or group picnics, and a site for educational tours.

After a 15 minutes drive from Mwanza Airport along Igombe and Kayenze road, one reaches Kageye village, situated on a tranquil and scenic beach on Lake Victoria.

On arrival at the village, a visitor will recognize that the main activity in the area is fishing, as many colorful fishing boats are anchored along the beach and sardines are dried on the sand.

However, the main landmark at Kageye is a site which has got a historical story to tell. This is what makes the lakeshore village a must destination for somebody interested in the history of the Arab slave trade and the introduction of Islam and Christian religions in north-west Tanzania in the 1870s.

At that time Kageye was part of the smallest Sukuma tribal chieftaincy. Now it is one of the oldest historical sites in Tanzania. Kageye hosts a monument in memory of innocent Africans who died during the dehumanizing slave trade. It was at Kageye where the slaves captured in Uganda and northwest Tanzania were enchained by the Arabs before embarking on a gruesome journey to slavery bondage through Bagamoyo and Zanzibar.

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How Chili Condoms and Firecrackers Can Help Save Elephants

Fill a condom with chili powder. Mix in small rocks and sand for weight. Add a firecracker for a bang. Launch condom at elephant. Save elephant’s life.

All it takes is one elephant rumbling through a field to destroy a family’s food supply for an entire year, so it’s no surprise that a farmer might turn to the only tool he has available—a spear.

But this elephant warning system gives farmers a low-tech way to scare these animals away from their crops without violence.

The Honeyguide Foundation, a Tanzania-based conservation group, with support from the United States-based Nature Conservancy, is training teams of volunteer “crop protectors” in dozens of villages throughout northern Tanzania to implement the system.

Each night, a member of the team will keep watch over the crops, looking out for elephants. If one is spotted, the volunteer begins the four-step warning system.

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Tanzania’s chimpanzee-rich park calls for improved roads to lure tourists

Nestled in a small patch of remnant tropical forest, the 51-year-old national park is home to chimpanzees and other wildlife, but lack of proper road infrastructures is one of the challenges thwarting tourism development.

Hapiness Kimei, head of tourism development of the park, said that the situation has been making it difficult for tourists to visit some of the thrilling destinations in the sanctuary.

“Lack of road infrastructures has been compelling tourists to use water ways as the sanctuary is located along Lake Tanganyika. This means of transport is expensive, making many tourists to opt for other tourist destinations, which are easily accessible,” Kimei said on Wednesday.

Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania’s national parks, a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika.

Its chimpanzees, habituated to human visitors, were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioural research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh

Tanzania: Tourists Tout Landscapes

By Adam Ihucha

Arusha — Landscape tourism has the potential to diversify Tanzania's travel industry which is currently centred to mainly wildlife, beaches and mount climbing, visitors have said.

A group of 54 tourists from Europe who are exploring the country's landscape say that visitors who look beyond wildlife, mountain climbing and beach products often overlook Tanzania.

"A big number of tourists in Europe scout for landscape tourism to discover the beauty of the world. Tanzania stands a better chance to tap on them as it has picturesque landscapes" says Mr Le Gouil Jean Yves, a tourist from France.

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Zanzibar launches center to preserve information on slave trade

People look at illustrations on display during an exhibition commemorating the abolishment of slavery, at  the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, on March 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei) ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar  archipelago has launched the East African Slave Trade Center. Minister of the State in Second Vice-President Office, Mohamed Aboud said that the  new center will serve as an important area for researchers and historians from across  the globe, who might want to understand how slave trade was conducted in east Africa,  before being abolished in 1873. "We're very optimistic that the new center will make Zanzibar easily seen in the world map,  due to its historic background. Key historical information collected by historians will be  stored at the center," Aboud said. Zanzibar was one of the largest slave ports in the vast Indian Ocean slave trade, which  was dominated by Arab slave traders. This photo taken on May 5, 2006 shows the liberation from slavery statue in a street leading to the House of Slaves on Goree Island, just off Dakar, where thousands of African slaves were held before being sent to the Americas. Senegal has declared slavery and the   slave tradecrimes against humanity, putting the emphasis on a "duty to remember" rather than seeking financial  reparations. The first of millions of slaves shipped from Africa to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade came  from the west African nation and the law passed on March 23, 2010 is the first on the continent declaring slavery  a crime against humanity. (SEYLLOU/AFP PHOTO) The Arab slave trade originated before Islam and lasted more than a millennium.  The slavers hacked their way from Bagamoyo on the Tanzania mainland coast into  the African interior, as far west as the Congo.The slavers traded, bribed chiefs, pillaged  and frequently kidnapped to meet the high demand for slaves. The newly acquired  slaves were often forced to carry ivory and other goods back to Bagamoyo. The name Bagamoyo is derived from the Kiswahili words "bwaga moyo" which means  "lay down your heart", because it was here that slaves would abandon any remaining  hope of freedom or escape. Slaves who survived the long and perilous hike from the interior  were then crammed into wooden boats called dhows bound for the slave markets in Stone  Town, Zanzibar. People take pictures of a newly unveiled permanent memorial named "Ark of Return" at the UN headquarters in  New York, on March 25, 2015. The UN unveiled a permanent memorial at the UN Headquarters in New York on  Wednesday to honor the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. (Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei) Head of Zanzibar Cultural Heritage Center, Nuhu Saranya said the idea behind establishing  the center came after realizing tourism potentials in the clove-rich island. Saranya said the center have five photos' exhibition rooms and history of abolition of slave  trade in east Africa and neo-slave trade which is ongoing across the world. "One of the rooms will be for story telling on slave trade for Tanzanian mainland and  Zanzibar as well as special room for research," Saranya said.

Tanzania: TANAPA for Paramilitary Action in Parks

By Deus Ngowi

Mlele — Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) has completed training to its officials, as it gets ready to move from civilian to paramilitary system to curb poaching.

The sixth and last phase was closed by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, on Saturday that included 27 senior officials and make the number of trained ones 175.

Addressing the participants here after commissioning them, Prof Maghembe said that to support the initiative to go military, President John Magufuli has offered intensive military training to 50 TANAPA officials starting this week.

It aims at equipping the authority with better and necessary field skills. He sent a strong message to poachers and intruders to national parks and forest reserves that military force would be applied against them without any hesitation.

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Tanzania: Project Launched to Tap Tourism Potential in Iringa

By Rosemary Mirondo

Iringa — Iringa District is one of the country's sleeping giants that need quick interventions in promoting its tourist attractions.

Despite being endowed with historical cultural background and numerous tourist attractions; they are yet to be fully tapped.

According to the 2012 population census, Iringa District had a population of 405,377 consisting mainly of the indigenous Hehe tribe.

According to the Bank of Tanzania's 2013 report, Iringa fell behind in contributing to the GDP after Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Shinyanga.

This is despite its potential , and in view of this, a non-governmental organisation Fahari Yetu in collaboration with the European Union under the European Development Fund in Tanzania have embarked on a project to promote cultural heritage and tourism for sustainable development in the Southern Highlands.

Fahari Yetu assistant project manager Jimson Sanga, who is also a University of Iringa lecturer in tourism and culture, said the Fahari Yetu project was started three years ago with the aim of promoting tourism in the Southern Highlands.

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Nigeria, Tanzania To Unveil Africa Amalgamation Via Tourism, Arts

Nigeria, with a rich heritage resources and culture, have been partnering with other countries in its determined aspiration to diversify the economy through creativity in the areas of culture, tourism and entertainment.

The latest collaboration set to take place between Nigeria and Tanzania, would require the transfer of creativity between Nigeria and Tanzania artistes involved in movie production and musical concert.

Tagged ‘East and West Africa Amalgamation Through Arts and Tourism,’ the crux of the project is to bring together key players in Nigeria’s Nollywood industry as well as their counterpart in Tanzania to share their creative ingenuity with the aim of encouraging youths to explore the potential in Africa.

The project which is the first of its kind in the world and Africa would be premiered in Tanzania with Nigerian musical artists performing alongside their Tanzanian colleagues at the 65,000 capacity stadium in the country. The second leg of the production is expected to take place in Tanzania after which the team would return to Nigeria for premiering alongside the Nigerian and Tanzanian artistes. It would be produced in Nigeria by Atunda Entertainment in collaboration with the Tanzanian government while script writers would be expected to emerge with a movie that captures Nigeria’s beautiful culture and heritage.

Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding has been signed by both parties as the artistes would utilise the famous La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Lagos for its premier location.

Unveiling the project in Abuja, the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency Daniel O. Njoolay, pointed out that the project was important given that Tanzanians in motion picture industry lacked the requisite skills and expertise to boost the sector. He noted that the project would introduce surprising cooperation between the two countries in the areas of culture and tourism even as he appealed to the Nigerian media to provide adequate publicity for the project.

Acknowledging that Nigeria ranked among major movie makers in the world, the High Commissioner said that the partnership would benefit his country in the area of technological transfer in arts and creativity. According to him, the Tanzanian government, through the Ministry of Culture, is deeply involved in the project and would be committing funds to it the moment the year’s budgetary appropriation is ready.

While commending the chief executive officer of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Lagos, Dr Wanle Akinboboye, for his tireless efforts towards the success of the project, he revealed that the director of Tanzania Film Board, Ms Joyce Fisoo, has arrived in Nigeria to hold talks with her counterparts in the country. Njoolay maintained that since Tanzania ranked second in terms of tourist attractions in the world after Brazil the project would serve as an opportunity for both countries to further harness their tourism potential. He added that the maiden film titled ‘Pride’ to be shot in Tanzania would be a one and half hour production and would be brought to Nigeria for premiering.

Also speaking, Akinboboye emphasised that the call for the diversification of Nigeria’s economy is over-flogged, adding that it would have taken place 25 years ago.

“In diversification, you have to do a cross analysis of strength and weaknesses. Our greatest strength is in creativity but as number one in Africa, in terms of movie and music, how much value have we added to the continent?” he asked.

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Tanzania: TTB Launches E-Marketing Campaign to Bolster Country's Tourism Industry

By Iddy Mwema

Iddy Mwena in a bid to promote tourist attractions, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has embarked on global e-marketing campaign by developing a modern destination online tourism portal and Application.

Launching the online system in Dar es Salaam, TTB Acting Marketing Director, Mr Philip Chitaunga, said the online services will help much on promoting the tourism attractions existing in the country.

"Due to the growth of technology globally, especially internet, many tourists prefer using online systems to access tourism information and it is the reason why we decide to come up with the application and the website," he said.

Following the introduced online portal, many tourism firms especially Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurs (SMEs) will be supported to increase their earnings and conduct their business more easily.

Moreover, the portal will serve as tool for directly accessing tourist markets as well as online payment, a move that will allow tourists to directly pay for the service providers in the country and enable government pocket its rightful revenue income as well as tourism agents.

"The Tanzania Tourism App, contains detailed information on various tourist destinations in Tanzania, among other things the App gives includes an overview of what Tanzania can offer as unique tourist destination in Africa, things to do, hospitality services and how to plan their trips just to mention a few," he noted.

According to him, the introduction of e-marketing campaign is expected to bolster the tourism industry in the country as well as make it more a foreign exchange spinner.

He, however, urged Tanzanians to use both products when scheduling their local tourism visits during their holidays, as the products were not designed for foreigners alone.

7 things you must do in Tanzania

1. Go on a safari … or three

Tanzania is home to two of the most iconic safari destinations in Africa – the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The vast plains of the Serengeti are home to the Great Migration, an annual event that sees massive herds of ungulate follow the rains to greenier and tastier pastures. The Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive and unfilled volcanic caldera, is home to a huge variety of wildlife. Whatever kind of safari you’re after, you’ll find it here.

Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater (Shutterstock.com)

While most safari-goers flock to Tanzania’s northern parks, don’t forget the country’s south. It’s home to one of the largest reserves in the world ­– Selous Game Reserve, nearly four times the size of Serengeti National Park –and it's even wilder.

Then there’s newly-minted Wami-Mbiki Wildlife Management Area -  a great place to get close to elephants, giraffes, hartebeest and zebra. In Tanzania, you’re spoilt for choice.

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Researchers Analyze History of Wildebeest by Looking at Its Tail

Wildebeest in Masai Mara during the Great Migration. Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia Commons

Researchers have developed techniques to recreate a personalized diary of an animal's lifetime.
The team from the University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine were able to recreate "nutritional timelines" that illuminate the past experiences of Serengeti wildebeest by looking only at the animals' tail hair.
The research, which is published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, shows how nitrogen stable isotopes can be used to reconstruct nutritional histories that revealed repeating periods of extreme starvation in the world's most famous migration of terrestrial animals.
The researchers suggest the tail hair technique is akin to looking at the rings of a tree and can be used in a similar manner to re-create the animal's physiological history. Hair incorporates metabolites from the body as it grows and offers a continuous record of the chronic condition of the wildebeest.

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Editors join hands to protect elephants!

DOMESTIC tourism and wildlife conservation received the attention they deserve from the most senior journalists in the country this week. A three-day workshop was organised by the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) at VETA in Morogoro Region from June 6 this year.

JACKS MEENA

About 40 editors and senior reporters convened at this meeting to annotate, cogitate and discuss issues of concern around tourism and conservation in the country.

A number of papers ranging from “Livestock Challenges in the National Parks”, “Marketing Domestic Tourism in Tanzania”, “Mega-herbivores Conservation and Challenges in 12st Century” and “The role of the Media in Conservation of Natural Resources” to mention but a few were presented and discussed by experts in the field.

Officiating the workshop, the Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources Prof Jumanne Maghembe, called upon journalists to remain observant and vigorously inform policy makers, government officials, politicians, activists and members of the general public the importance of conserving the natural resources, protecting endangered animals such as elephants, rhinos and water sources.

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Tanzania: Tourism Players Worry About VAT On Services

Tourism players have expressed concerns over government plans to impose Value Added Tax on tourism services saying the move will be inimical to growth of the sector which currently leads in foreign exchange earnings.

Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) Executive Secretary, Sirili Akko, said in a statement that the VAT plans for tourism industry would be counterproductive and will hamper growth of the sector which contributes to more than 17 per cent of the total economic output. "... the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) wishes to express serious concerns on the cross cutting negative consequences of the tax measures on the tourism industry which currently contributes more than 17 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)," he said in the statement.

He said TATO, among leading tourism players, was worried they will lose their business to Kenya and other tourist destinations where VAT in tourism is zero-rated as VAT on the tourism services would make Tanzania a more expensive tourist destination.

"Charging VAT on tourist services will make them expensive and place the Tanzanian tourism industry in a disadvantaged position due to regional and international parities.

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Tanzania: Grumeti Inspires Students to Be Conservationists

An official from Singita Grumeti Mr Noel Mbise gives a presentation during an environmental conference held at Bunda Day Secondary School last week.

By Mugini Jacob

Tarime — A crucial environmental conference centre that involves 120 students from Serengeti and Bunda Districts in Mara Region was held last week.

The four-days event was hosted by Singita Grumeti, a non-profit organization that leads what is seen as a fruitful environmental conservation campaign in 22 villages bordering Ikorongo/Grumeti Game reserves in western Serengeti. Singita Grumeti is also spending millions of money to support local development in the villages each year.

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UN-backed fund expands wildlife protection plan to 19 countries in Africa and Asia

10 June 2016 – A United Nations-backed partnership fun has approved an additional $40 million to expand its support of a global programme fighting against illegal trafficking to a total of 19 countries in Africa and Asia.

The expansion for the Global Wildlife Program was approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and includes contributions from the Asian Development Bank, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank Group and the World Wildlife Fund.

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Local celebrities urged to promote tourism

TANZANIAN celebrities including sports personalities and artists have been urged to use their social media accounts to promote tourist attractions available in our country.

The call was made in Dar es Salaam over the weekend by Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Managing Director, Devota Mdachi, when she held separate meetings with different iconic youth who live inside and outside the country.

One of them being national soccer team, Taifa Stars skipper, Mbwana Samatta, who ply his trade with Belgium top division side RFC Genk, Miss Tanzania USA 2015/2016, Aeesha Kamara and Bongo Flavor artiste Vanessa Mdee popularly known as V-money.

“The board would like to encourage youth, especially the iconic ones to use their positions to promote what we have been blessed with, mainly through their social media accounts as we are all aware of the impact of social media,” Mdachi noted.

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Diver discovered 2000 year old lost city off the coast of Tanzania

Allen Sutten, a scuba diver who has discovered what could be the ruins of an ancient “lost city”, just off the coast of Tanzania. An unusually low tide revealed a suspected wall, running for 4 kilometres underwater. Researchers say it could be the remains of Rhapta – a city dating back two thousand years.

 “The lost city” of Rhapta was originally documented in Ptolemy’s Geography as Africa’s first metropolis. Documented as one of the wealthiest cities of its time, a trading hub for metal weapons and tortoiseshell. Very little has been added to the story of Rhapta since it dissapeared more than 1,500 years ago until now.

After Allan first spotted the ruins from a helicopter, it took him almost 3 years to pinpoint its exact location and on March 21 on this year he discovered something that could probably change the way we think about African history.

Since Allan Sutten discovered the lost ancient city, Felix Chami, a professor from Dar es Salaam University has been to the site and says it could change our understanding of history.

Reseachers are still investigating the site that is the size of a small city so not much more information can be found about Tanzania’s “lost city”.

Tanzania: Sh600 Million Set for Tour Guides' Training

Moshi — The government will allocate Sh600 million during the next financial year to meet the cost of training about 500 tour guides at the College of African Wildlife Management (CAWM) at Mweka on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

This was revealed here at the weekend by the secretary of the Tanzania Tour Guides Association (TTGA), Mr Sadock Mugetta, during a media briefing session. He said this was a pointer that the government appreciated their crucial role in the tourism sector.

The chairperson of the association, Mr Respicius Baitwa, said the sponsorship will boost the sector and improve the skills of tour guides and porters, particularly climbers of Mt. Kilimanjaro that attracts over 60,000 visitors from abroad a year.

The deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Angelina Madette, recently promised that the government would address the challenges that tour guides faced.

She was speaking in Arusha, at a ceremony for awarding prizes to best performing guides of the year. She said tour guides and allied workers played a big role in promoting the country's tourism industry.

This was the first time the outstanding guides and porters working under TTGA had been awarded prizes. The body has about 29,000 members, according to Mr. Mugetta.

Aristide Assey emerged the best porter while Nsiande Gabriel was named the most outstanding tour guide for safaris inside the national parks and game-controlled areas. Boniface Nkunda was the best tour guide for mountain climbers.

Tanzania: Live Animal Exports Banned Pending Proper Procedures

By Nasongelya Kilyinga

Dodoma — Thegovernment  has banned transportation of all live animals outside the country for the next three years until proper procedures are made to ensure only approved animals are transported.

Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Professor Jumanne Maghembe told the National Assembly here yesterday when winding up his ministry's budget estimates for 2016/2017 that not even laces will be allowed to cross borders.

He said his ministry has instructed the Wildlife Department to come up with proper procedures to ensure that only primates and reptiles are cleared for transportation outside the country. Prof Maghembe added that the monkeys that were recently intercepted as they were illegally transported outside the country were meant to be used for medical research, which would have not benefitted the country.

"In any case, it would have instead benefitted the countries where those monkeys were being transported to," he remarked. Meanwhile, Members of Parliament (MPs) have demanded an investigation into the illegal export of live animals to Qatar from the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). Iringa Urban Lawmaker, Mr Peter Msigwa (Chadema), accused the ministry of clearing a foreign hunting firm, Green Miles Safaris Limited, to continue hunting in the country despite violating legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation by hunting restricted wild animals in the Selous Game Reserve

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Tanzania: Boost for Southern Tourist Circuit

Dodoma — The World Bank and other Development Partners are funding a special programme to facilitate tourism activities in Southern Tanzania, the National Assembly heard yesterday.

The programme dubbed REGROW, has received funding from the World Bank amounting to 100 million US dollars (over 2bn/-).

The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ramo Makani, said this yesterday when responding to Mr Hassan Kaunje (Lindi Urban-CCM), who wanted to know when the government would start implementing the ruling party's manifesto that, among other matters, stipulates that tourism activities in the southern zone will be improved.

"The 2015/2020 CCM election manifesto touched on developing tourism activities in the southern zone through a special programme. When will the government start implementing this requirement"? he asked.

In response, the deputy minister said that the government has outlined various strategies in its 2016/2017-2020/2021 development to be put in place to ensure a number of promises contained in the party's manifesto are implemented.

He noted that in the second Five Year Development Plan, the government seeks to open up opportunities in southern region which are vital in fuelling industrial economy. To achieve this, the deputy minister said the government is engaging private sector to invest in tourism infrastructure such as building hotels.

Mr Makani explained that in the same period, the ministry will ensure that through Public Private Partnership (PPP), it advertises historical features which are available in Lindi and Mtwara that will in turn attract tourists.

Tarangire - a Wonder World of Wildlife, Roaring Tourism

analysis By Sosthenes Mwita

Manyara Region has a natural forest reserve spanning 992,795 hectares. The forests are scattered in all five districts - Babati, Hanang, Kiteto, Mbulu and Simanjiro.

The region also has two major national parks - Tarangire and Lake Manyara, - which are rich in wildlife. Tarangire is a rich wildlife sanctuary with both friendly and hostile weather.

During the dry season the sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the dusty red earth. The withered grass becomes as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River shrivels but remains a popular drinking hole for wildlife.

Thirsty nomads wander into the river from hundreds of kilometres away looking for water and the patches of withering grass.

Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river-bed for water while wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, impalas, gazelles, hartebeest sand elands crowd the shrinking lagoons.

Tarangire is the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem. During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 square kilometres and graze until they exhaust the green plains.

At this juncture, River Tarangire calls once again. Tarangire's herds of elephant are easily encountered during the wet and dry seasons. The swamps in the river host about 550 species of wild birds.

The park is the most popular place in the world for various species of birds, according to a brochure published by the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa). Some species of birds home in to breed and them migrate to other parts of the world.

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.Tanzania: State to Double Jobs, Augment Tourism Earnings

By Deus Ngowi

Moshi — The Government has stated that the Kilimanjaro Tourism and Industry Fair (KILIFAIR) is a shot in the arm in the tourism sector in the country, anticipating that its spillover effect will increase tourists, jobs in the sector and bring more foreign currency for the Government.

Launching the event at Ushirika Ground here, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Abdallah Maghembe, said he was amazed by a high turnout of exhibitors, including many foreign tourist agents, who he said will act as ambassadors abroad.

"This is a big shot in the arm for the tourism sector. It is a fantastic fair this year. I did not expect to see even half of what I see here of the exhibitors, but I am also satisfied by quality of what you show," the minister said of more than 250 exhibitors in the threeday fair.

Professor Maghembe noted that few tourists have been coming to Tanzania and the fair is setting a new tone as each tourist company and agent who attended the fair would in turn bring many sightseers from Europe, America and other continents.

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Tanzania: Tourism Fair Delights Foreigners

By Deus Ngowi

Moshi — The just-ended Kilimanjaro Industrial and Tourism Fair, famously known as KILIFAIR 2016 has been described by the business community as an eye-opener to business opportunities within and outside the country.

Exhibitors and sponsors expressed their joy as they joined each other and exchanged knowledge and experience. They also reached different agreements on how to trade together in future, while some called the fair a 'family reunion'.

Ethiopian Airlines' Traffic and Sales Manager, Ms Fitsimt Dejene, said they have been flying to Tanzania for more than 30 years, so when it comes to tourism, they feel as part and parcel.

They hence grasped the opportunity to participate not only as exhibitors but also as main sponsors. Ms Dejene who is based in Arusha, noted that the airline that clocks 70 years since its founding this year, has many destinations.

It is close to local tour operators and other stakeholders, so in celebrating the anniversary they found it proper to be at KILIFAIR 2016. The fair that was opened on Friday by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, attracted more than 250 exhibitors from within and outside the country.

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Poor infrastructure hinders Tanzania's tourism growth

ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's tourism industry is facing a number of challenges, which if left unaddressed, would hinder tourism growth, an official has said.
Allan Kijazi, director general of Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) noted that some of those challenges include poor road infrastructures particularly those getting into the national parks.
"More challenges are in the southern and western tourism corridors. That's why we're coming up with a project to revamp those roads so as to attract tourists and investors in the areas," the official said Wednesday.
He said apart from poor roads, the national parks also lack modern tourist hotels, thus investment in the sector is crucial in order to attract more tourists.
"If these challenges are addressed, the number of tourists visiting the national parks will increase," Kijazi said.
Ibrahim Mussa, Director of Tourism and Marketing at TANAPA, added that invasion of livestock in the sanctuaries has also been threatening the country's tourism attractions.