Arusha — Mtwara may be located far from Arusha but the country's tourism
industry pivoted around the Northern Circuit will never be the same
without added value from souvenir antiques sculptured in the southern
region.
"It has become a tradition that after any Safari experience in either Serengeti or Ngorongoro, tourists need to top up with artefacts from curio shops," revealed Mr Kilian Mwakulomba, the Manager in-charge of African Galeria, the largest curio shop located at Manyara section, between Mto-wa-Mbu and Karatu.
As it happens, large and small curio shops keep cropping up and lining along the entire road stretch from Arusha via Makuyuni junction, all the way to Loduare gate, the entrance to both Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. Each of the establishment depends on the tourist vehicles taking visitors to and from various attractions.
"During peak season more than 100 tour vans drive into this curio shop for visitors to buy souvenirs ranging from Makonde sculptured traditional arts and crafts, locally made printed T-shirts, wooden trays and cups and Maasai attires," revealed Mr Mwakulomba, pointing out that it is actually the products from Mtwara that top the bill.
Mwalukomba was of view that, it has now become a tradition for tourists coming back from the parks to crown each safari trip with arts and crafts souvenirs bought from curio shops.
The two tourist destinations of Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park, with Lake Manyara thrown in between, account for more than 600,000 tourists per year.
Already international parcel shipping and handling companies such as DHL, UPS, TNT and Fedex have opened branches inside a number of curio shops to ensure that tourists who buy bulk consignments of arts and crafts can be assisted to ship them to whichever destination, right from the store itself.
However, for another curio shop operator, Mr Asantaeli Mbise of 'Lake Manyara Wayside Gallery,' there has been large exportation of arts and crafts items from Arusha to overseas countries of late, something which may jeopardize the business in future.
"In the past it was tourists carrying a few pieces of traditional crafts with them, but now we are seeing the products being transported on large trucks, put into shipping containers and sent floating to China, Asia, Europe and the United States," said Mr Mbise, pointing out that once the Makonde arts saturate overseas markets nobody will be buying them here again.
"And we have started to feel the pinch, the number of tourists who drop by at the shop to buy souvenirs has reduced while those who eventually come, either complaining or sneering that the same products could be bought at much cheaper prices abroad," revealed the Arts Gallery operator.
"It has become a tradition that after any Safari experience in either Serengeti or Ngorongoro, tourists need to top up with artefacts from curio shops," revealed Mr Kilian Mwakulomba, the Manager in-charge of African Galeria, the largest curio shop located at Manyara section, between Mto-wa-Mbu and Karatu.
As it happens, large and small curio shops keep cropping up and lining along the entire road stretch from Arusha via Makuyuni junction, all the way to Loduare gate, the entrance to both Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. Each of the establishment depends on the tourist vehicles taking visitors to and from various attractions.
"During peak season more than 100 tour vans drive into this curio shop for visitors to buy souvenirs ranging from Makonde sculptured traditional arts and crafts, locally made printed T-shirts, wooden trays and cups and Maasai attires," revealed Mr Mwakulomba, pointing out that it is actually the products from Mtwara that top the bill.
Mwalukomba was of view that, it has now become a tradition for tourists coming back from the parks to crown each safari trip with arts and crafts souvenirs bought from curio shops.
The two tourist destinations of Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park, with Lake Manyara thrown in between, account for more than 600,000 tourists per year.
Already international parcel shipping and handling companies such as DHL, UPS, TNT and Fedex have opened branches inside a number of curio shops to ensure that tourists who buy bulk consignments of arts and crafts can be assisted to ship them to whichever destination, right from the store itself.
However, for another curio shop operator, Mr Asantaeli Mbise of 'Lake Manyara Wayside Gallery,' there has been large exportation of arts and crafts items from Arusha to overseas countries of late, something which may jeopardize the business in future.
"In the past it was tourists carrying a few pieces of traditional crafts with them, but now we are seeing the products being transported on large trucks, put into shipping containers and sent floating to China, Asia, Europe and the United States," said Mr Mbise, pointing out that once the Makonde arts saturate overseas markets nobody will be buying them here again.
"And we have started to feel the pinch, the number of tourists who drop by at the shop to buy souvenirs has reduced while those who eventually come, either complaining or sneering that the same products could be bought at much cheaper prices abroad," revealed the Arts Gallery operator.
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