TANZANIA NOMINATED FOR THE 23RD ANNUAL WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS

 

Tourism sector in Tanzania is continuing to perform well at international arena after the country’s responsible organ for marketing Tanzania as a tourist destination Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), being named one of three finalists in Destination:- Best Tourist Board Africa category for the 2015 Travvy Awards that recognizes the highest standards of excellence in the Industry today and honors travel companies, travel products, travel agencies, travel executives, travel agents and travel destinations. Other two finalist countries under the category are South Africa Tourism and Namibia Tourism Board.

 

Selection of the finalists is based on votes by travel agents. The final two winners in the respective categories are determined by the award-winning Travel Alliance editorial team. The Annual Travvy Awards will be presented by Travvy Alliance media at a Gala Awards night, New York City, January 6, 2016. 

 

“Tanzania is honored to be among the finalists for Africa. This is the result of the dedicated and pro-active work in the US market by Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), together with The Bradford Group, TTB’s USA representative, and the strong support of Tanzania National Parks and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority as well as the Tanzania Embassy in Washington and the Tanzania Mission to the UN in New York.“ commented, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Dr. Adelhelm Meru  

He further said that In addition to Tanzania having some of the world’s most renown tourism icons, the Serengeti and the Great Animal Migration, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater as well as the hidden gems of the South, the Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park, visitors from all over the world are also attracted to Tanzania because of its peace and tranquility, stability and prevailing democracy in the country that makes Tanzania a suitable place to stay for visitors. 

 

This new development comes after recent developments where Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar were named by the US Travel and Leisure Magazine among the annual Best Places to Travel in 2016. Tanzania was also named among 52 places to go this year by the ‘New York Times’, the best African Destination to visit by the Fox News Channel, the best safari Country of Africa by SafariBookings.com and Tanzania’s Mt Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park being named two of the greatest parks in the World by National Geographic Magazine to mention just a few. Destination Tanzania has also received continuous positive coverage in the major travel publications and broadcast media

American Tourist couple Protests over Arrest in Tanzania

A senior American couple staged a protest outside the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington, looking to express their feelings and grievances they endured after arrest and charges over poaching of a giraffe during their six-day safari in Tanzania.

The couple from Foster City in California, Jon and Linda Grant, were joined by a group of other well-wishers, holding placards to protest the ordeal, looking to meet the Tanzanian ambassador to the US, but all in vain.

Jon, age 72, and Linda, age 65, were arrested in Tanzania early this year and charged with a poaching crime, alleged by Tanzanian security officials who said that the senior citizens had entered a Tanzanian wildlife park and killed a giraffe which they processed as a trophy and were found possessing.

But the couple, humble and senior citizens from the US, had purchased in South Africa, an etched 18-inch giraffe bone with a herd of elephants carved on it, which Jon said he was interested in for the bone, because he hadn't seen anything like it and thought it might look good on his desk at home.

The couple bought the engraved 18-inch bone at a souvenir shop within a wildlife refuge, without knowing that the souvenir would hand them into an AK-47 wielding policeman with zero knowledge of a legally-acquired trophy and respect of human rights, especially toward the old couple he was brandishing the gun at.

Jon and Linda were facing a 20-year sentence in Tanzania’s notorious prisons and a US$150,000 fine for a poaching crime they had never committed, other than failure by Tanzanian tourism and immigration departments to issue travel notices to foreign tourists to inform them all about items to declare on arrival at the Tanzanian entry points.

 The couple was on safari in Africa and ended up spending 3 days in a notorious Tanzanian remand prison on wrongful charges of poaching and killing an 18-foot giraffe, the tallest mammal in the world, and which is Tanzania’s most respected animal since the British colonial era.

Jon, a retired dentist, has been in 132 countries, and Linda has visited 100 countries during the last 15 years for humanitarian missions with the Rotary Club to distribute 400,000 wheelchairs to the disabled in developing countries, among them Africa.

Speaking of their Tanzania ordeal, Jon said the South African souvenir when he asked the seller if it was legal item to purchase the item and whether the seller was sure that Jon could take it through customs, the answer was right away that it was a legalized item.

But in South Africa, wildlife laws were probably more transparent than Tanzania where most of legislations and laws on wild creatures are not clearly known to the citizens, giving rise to corrupt and lax government officials benefitting on the backs of innocent people.

John Grant said he even kept part of the souvenir unwrapped so he could easily show customs agents to ensure that it wasn’t an ivory from elephant tusk, an obviously illegal contraband.

“Even showing receipts proving the souvenir was purchased legally in South Africa wasn’t enough to get them out,” he said.

While making their way through one airport customs proved flawless, their final stop in Tanzania was the beginning of a long nightmare, the couple said.

“Right from the beginning, everyone said, “We’ve never heard of anything like this. You’re being charged with poaching for having a souvenir in your suitcase,” Jon Grant said, emphasizing the couple in no way endorses illegal killings or poaching.

The walls of John and Linda Grant’s Foster City home are covered with photos of lion cubs, penguins, and other animals they’ve enjoyed seeing in their travels. They are world travelers, active in various international causes.

They say they don’t hunt, much less poach, but they were charged with poaching at the end of this expensive six-day safari in Tanzania early this year.

Jon also recalled being in custody with uniformed juveniles with AK-47s hung around their necks keeping watch over the senior Americans who were denied food and initially, Jon Grant’s medication.

Their tour company tried to intervene, and eventually got the head of a Tanzanian tour guide association to get involved, as thousands of dollars were shuffled to Tanzanian authorities to move up court dates and, after three days being locked up, the couple was able to bail out.

But then it was another nearly three weeks of making court appearances and staying with the wealthy head of the tour guide association, who thankfully had access to money and knew the scheme. But despite bribing multiple officials, one didn’t bite, Jon Grant said.

They were seriously facing 20 years in a Tanzanian prison as new state officials sought to make an “example” of them and put a firm foot down on poaching. But after reaching out to their friend and Foster City Deputy Mayor Charlie Bronitsky, the ball got rolling.

Jon Grant said it’s still hard to believe that what he was carrying what happened to be illegal in Tanzania - their final destination after a two-week cruise and a week-long safari in South Africa.

Despite other countries and customs agents allowing them to travel with it, in Tanzania, the couple was accused of killing a giraffe, cutting off its leg, then intricately engraving it within a matter of days. Quickly, their passports and belongings were taken away before being sent to jail and eventually prison.

“I don’t even think I have the appropriate words to describe the fear,” Linda Grant recalled, later noting even the US embassy officials and Tanzanian tour guides couldn’t believe the couple was being charged for poaching. “Everyone realized that this is the most trumped up charge on Earth, but we got caught up in this corrupt system.”

Between bribes, legal fees, government fines, and new airfare, the couple said it cost them more than $70,000 to escape from the African continent.

Although the couple said they don’t imagine they’ll be traveling anywhere requiring a passport any time soon, a disappointment for the duo that has spent much of their relationship visiting foreign nations, their spirits remain bright.

They have been home for nearly two months now. Jon Grant recovered after having a four-day hospital stay prompted by the stressful trip, and they’ve had to take a line of credit out on their home to pay back the head of the tour association $62,000, half of which covered the court fine and the remainder went to bribes and legal fees in Tanzania, they said.

Linda urged people to visit the US State Department websites of countries they are planning to travel to and make sure they know the rules, and Jon said the bone that he didn’t even get to keep, sure wasn’t worth the harrowing ordeal.

“It’s ruined our perception of fun travel. I think the message is, you get into these countries where they can just do anything they want,” Jon said, adding that they were initially denied an attorney and phone call to the US embassy in Dar es Salaam.

“I think it’s important to get the word out to people that are traveling, especially in Tanzania; there’s no rules there, you have no rights there,” Jon said.

These Foster City residents stood outside the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington, warning others of their experience in the country and pleading with the Tanzanian ambassador to meet with them.

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) and a handful of staffers joined the Grants, waving signs, and speaking to passersby.

But when the senior American tourists were accused of poaching in Tanzania, their own country - the United States of America, which represents the largest single tourism market for this African country (Tanzania), and attracts a record high of 62,000 of high-spending American visitors per year - was nowhere to be found in providing support for this gentle senior couple.

Ironically, the United States government, through its global development agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is supporting Tanzania with a multi-million-dollar project to support wildlife conservation.

How Mount Kilimanjaro Ended up in Tanzania

 

There is something odd about the map of Kenya. From Lake Victoria to the Coast, the borderline moves in a straight line that is only broken by a small kink. That unassuming curve would not be significant if it did not conveniently place Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, on Tanzanian soil.

The most popular myth about how the all-important curve came into being is that Queen Victoria bequeathed Mount Kilimanjaro to her nephew, the future Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia, as a birthday gift. While the story is romantic to a point, and easy to use as proof of the insolent attitude of the European powers in their demarcation of Africa, it is untrue.

The borderline between Tanzania and Kenya tells the story of the arbitrary nature of the demarcation process that was later legitimised by an official mapping conducted in the early 1900s. While the Berlin Conference was indeed a party where different powers shared Africa like a giant pie, the notion that the Queen gave away an entire snow-capped peak on a whim is unsubstantiated.

There seems to have been an agreement between Germany and Britain as to the location of Mount Kilimanjaro, with the only point of contention being where the demarcation line from the mountain to Lake Victoria ended. The British proposed a line from Kilimanjaro to Speke Gulf while the Germans proposed a line from Kilimanjaro to North of Musoma. Another map from the German side shows a straight demarcation line from the North Eastern corner of Lake Victoria to Mombasa. In both maps, Kilimanjaro is part of what is today mainland Tanzania.

Schneppen Heinz’s Why Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania (1996) offers a more plausible reason for the anomaly. “Put more simply, the Germans had gained Kilimanjaro but not Mombasa, the British Mombasa but not Kilimanjaro. Now it becomes evident why Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania: because Mombasa is in Kenya.” (Page 18).

Schneppen’s assertion is based primarily on the terms of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty of 1 July 1890. In the Treaty, Germany and Great Britain agreed on several territorial interests. Germany gave up its claim of Zanzibar Sultanate-which then stretched to what is today the Kenyan coast-in exchange for Heligoland and the coast of Dar es Salaam. Heligoland is a strategic island that covers the approaches of Germany North Sea naval bases. Wilhelm viewed Heligoland as a primary strategic addition to his plan to outdo the British in naval power.

The young prince supposedly complained to his grandmother that she had two mountains while he had none. The matriarch, aptly referred to as the “grandmother of Europe”, then ordered her subjects to grant the future Kaiser one high snow-capped mountain in East Africa.

This sentimental “lavish royal gift” story was most likely the product of a Victorian satirist. It then flourished as a marketing gimmick fanned by tour operators and other tourism stakeholders.

In the years between the early 1880s and Germany’s defeat in World War I, its East African territory included what are now Burundi, Rwanda, and mainland Tanzania, then known as Tanganyika. The Zanzibar Sultanate was Britain’s proxy.

While the Heligoland treaty does not include any mention of a mountain, the demarcation lines do not seem to have changed around that part of the borderline. It seems more plausible that in giving away its claim on Zanzibar and its entire Sultanate, which then included what is now the Kenyan Coast, the Germans acquired Kilimanjaro.

Germany would not have been very concerned about giving up the Sultanate’s coastline because the deal left them with the Dar es Salaam coast.

The story of the Queen who gave away a mountain to her grandson has withstood the test of time, but it is a fabrication. While it does typify the excesses and arbitrary partitioning with which the boundaries of modern-day East Africa were determined, there is no single shred of evidence to support it. There is a Guinness World Record somewhere in the true story. Six years after the Heligoland Treaty, the pro-British Sultan Hamad died and was succeeded by Sultan Khalid. The British preferred Hamud, another pro-British, and used a clause in the 1886 treaty between Zanzibar and Britain to declare an ultimatum for Khalid to resign.

The battle to oust him begun at 9am on 27 August and ended at or before 9.40am, a mere 40 minutes later, booking its place as the shortest war in history. The Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty ended Germany’s interests in the Zanzibar Sultanate, hence Schneppen’s assertion that Mount Kilimanjaro was part of the deal, albeit unrecorded in the terms of the treaty.

Queen Victoria might have had her moments of whims, but Mount Kilimanjaro was definitely not one of them. From a very East African perspective, it was either Mombasa or Mount Kilimanjaro. A coastline for a mountain sounds like a fair deal.

Tanzania: Why Tourists Flock to 'Spice Islands' for Holidays

 

Zanzibar — Last month, Mr. Kunal Kapoor from Indian Film Industry visited Zanzibar as a special guest at the annual Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF).

Tourist operators and officials from the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) say many people also choose the islands for other celebrations. The coming of Mr. Kapoor from a family of traditions of cinema and theatre was facilitated by Zanzibar Tourism Promotion Centre (ZTPC) in India, set up in March 2015 under the Presidential initiative & vision between the Ministry of Information, Culture, Tourism & Sports -Government of Zanzibar, The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism & JHIL Enterprises, Mumbai, India.

The organization aims to create awareness and promote Zanzibar and its tourism attractions on the Indian Sub-Continent with a view to tapping a fast growing Indian Outbound Travel Industry. The venture to bring Mr. Kapoor- Bollywood actor and producer was spearheaded by Mr. Jilesh Babla, a Tanzanian Citizen, who has been promoting Zanzibar & Tanzania in India from the past two decades.

"Our focus is to promote the islands to film makers and couples planning wedding parties. This will definitely increase the number of guests, including tourists visiting the islands," said Dr. Ahmada Khatib- Chairman, Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT).

He said in collaboration with tourist operators, Tanzania ambassadors abroad, brochures, media and a website, his office has been advertising the islands as a holiday destination.

"The numbers of tourists from the new markets, mainly the Far East, like China and India has been increasing," Dr. Khatib said. He said improved infrastructure and peace have added value to help get more tourists estimated to surpass, by next January, the current record of three-hundred thousand tourists per year.

Dr. Khatib said Zanzibar is likely to surpass over five hundred thousand tourists by 2020 target should the advertisement continue alongside security and political stability. The ZCT chairman said security situation in Mombasa, Kenya should not be linked to the increasing number of tourists visiting the islands.

"There is nothing to celebrate because terrorism and other crimes remain a global threat," he said. He said a country cannot be happy when neighbor has problems. "We are now seeing big changes in tourism mainly because of advertising Zanzibar abroad, with focus on nations with emerging economies in Asia.

We have run adverts in the US and Western countries. We are also promoting sustainable tourism to protect environment including conserving the beaches. "He said hunting for new markets is unavoidable because tourism is changing rapidly, as visitors need to have another 'taste' other than the traditional heritage, a challenge to the government and private enterprise to develop new approaches to the tourism market. Zanzibar now identifies tourism as a priority sector to achieve its development goals as set out in the Vision 2020 strategy.

Tourism contributes about 27 percent to the Islands GPD annually. Mr. Seif  Masoud Al- Miskry, Chairman Zanzibar Association for Tourism Investors (ZATI) said that although the number of tourists has been increasing, the government has to increase marketing the islands. "So far there are prospects in the business.

According to the Hoteliers, record in July and this August is good. Thanks to the marketing initiatives by individual hotels and both governments (Zanzibar, Union). He said the Mainland has been doing well in marketing, and "it is also to our advantage because after visiting the mainland, tourists also come to Zanzibar." The ZATI chairman said Scuba Diving, cycling tourism,' beach walking and other recreations are being promoted to attract more tourism, in addition the famous narrow streets and historical sites.

Minister for Information, Tourism, Culture, and Sports Mr. Rashid Ali Juma has also appealed to stakeholders in tourism to promote local foods by establishing Zanzibar local foods Day. After gracing the local foods day in Makunduchi Village, and similar day in Unguja- Ukuu village, both in the South of Zanzibar Island, the Minister said promoting the 'nearly' forgotten local cuisine would attract visitors.

According to tourism/visitors statistics from the Commission for Tourism, and Office of Chief Government statistician-Zanzibar (OCGSZ), the Islands have made a significant progress in developing and managing its tourism sector in recent years.

About 28,741 visitors/ tourists entered Zanzibar in March, 2016 which is an increase of 41.8 percent compared to corresponding month in March 2015 and a decrease of 15.9 percent compared to previous month. Europeans remain as the largest source of visitors to Zanzibar tourism.

Almost seven of every ten visitors (69.0 percent) who entered Zanzibar in March, 2016 were from Europe; Italians continue to dominate the Tourism market by accounting 17.0 percent of all visitors entered in March. Germany follows by 12.6 percent and Scandinavian (8.1 percent) while New Zealand recorded the least (0.1 percent), and statistics shows that 25,003 visitors entered Zanzibar through Airport, among them 19,823 visitors came by international flights and 5,180 by domestic flights.

The remaining 3,738 visitors entered through seaport whereby 371 are day visitors (excursionist) and 3,367 entered by ferry boat from Tanzania Mainland. Generally, the number of visitors from emerging market increased by more than a hundred percent compared to corresponding month in 2015 and 17.8 percent compared to previous month.

The number of visitors from Israel significantly increased by more than hundred percent compared to corresponding month and previous month, moreover visitors from Ukraine and India declined by 86.4 and 26.1 percents respectively compared to previous month.

East Africa: Regional MPs Unhappy With Visa Take Up

Arusha — East African lawmakers are not happy at the slow implementation of the Single Tourist Visa, saying it has made little progress in boosting the tourism industry in the region as envisioned.

Nusura Tiperu (Uganda) said the region has vast tourist attractions which have not been fully exploited under the Single Tourist Visa plan. "There needs to be more information and data available on tourism to ensure visitors benefit from the tourist facilities," she said.

The East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) currently is in session here, wants the implementation of the EAC One Single Tourist Visa fast-tracked.

Adam Kimbisa (Tanzania) said there is a need to ensure inter-connectivity and infrastructure are in place to support systems of the Single Tourist Visa.

The visa was launched to entice more tourists into East Africa by allowing them to use one visa to tour three states, which they are party to it.

According to the provisions, 'The holder of the East Africa Tourist Visa shall enter the country that issued the visa and moves within the two other countries without applying for another visa or paying for another visa fee.'

It is also cheaper at $100 paid once compared with previously when a visa costs an average $180 for the three countries namely Kenya ($50) ; Rwanda ($30) and Uganda ($100).

The idea of a single regional visa is to make it easier and more financially attractive for tourists to visit the whole region.

According to Carmen Nibigira, Regional Coordinator, EATP, the East Africa Tourist Visa as of now entitles the traveller to 90 days uninterrupted travel in and out of the three participating countries.

Originally launched in 2014 by the presidents of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, the take up has been on the slow, but is now being sped up across the region. The East Africa Tourism Visa is commonly available, although a few problems remain.

The EALA parliamentarians asked the EAC Council of Ministers to complete the study on the implementation of the EAC Single Tourist Visa.

They made the observations when passing a report on the oversight on hotel classification and preparedness for the visa. The report was presented by the Chair of Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources, Christophe Bazivamo (Rwanda).

The legislators said the hotel classification in East Africa is hampered by poor planning. They want the EAC member states to establish a fund to support the initiative and enhance capacity building.

The lawmakers also want the regional council of ministers to speed up the ratification of the Protocol on Tourism and Wildlife Management, and provision of additional resources for the Tourism and Wildlife Management Unit.

In June this year, the East African Tourism Platform (EATP) met in Arusha to push for the full implementation of a common tourist visa for the region. EATP, which promotes East Africa as a single destination founded on growth, dynamism and investment, wants the sector to adopt the visa and market the region as one destination.