Tanzania: TTB - Sino-Dar Flights Would Propel Tourism.

Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has underscored the need for direct flights from Tanzania to China, to attract more Chinese tourists and reduce the costs emanating from connecting flights.

TTB's Board Chairman, Retired Judge Thomas Mihayo, said here yesterday that the rising number of tourists from China would largely depend on reliable and affordable air links between the two countries.

"It is now evident that there is a good number of tourists coming from China. Something must be done to revitalize trade links and strategic attractions of tourists from China," Judge Mihayo explained, stressing Tanzania's endowment with abundant tourist attractions.

He said tourism was potentially one of the country's leading economic drivers, which, if tapped fully, would contribute significantly to national economic growth and development.

Speaking shortly after winding up a tour of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Manyara National Park by senior Chinese journalists, Judge Mihayo said the pace of tourists coming from China was encouraging. "The visit by these journalists is yet another opportunity for us to promote our tourist attractions.

I hope you are going to be our good ambassadors to your country and beyond," he said, recalling that the two countries share a long-time historical friendship.

He also called on local councils and investors to build hotels in areas in which tourist attractions are located, and join hands in solving infrastructure related problems.

Earlier, the TTB Managing Director, Ms Devota Mdachi, said the journalists' visit was part of the board's efforts to promote tourist attractions and enhance the flow of tourists to the country.

"They (journalists) have been highly impressed by our tourist attractions and promised to be good ambassadors when they return home," the TTB boss said.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Mr.  Kang Bing, from Daily Media Group, said Tanzania had everything regarding tourism.

"We visited several places, including Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Manyara National Park where we saw a variety of fascinating birds," Mr.  Bing explained. He promised that they would be good ambassadors of Tanzania's unique tourist attractions through their reportage in print and electronic media outlets.

"The challenge we experienced is that there should be direct flights from Tanzania to China.

Many Chinese have shown interest to come to this beautiful country," Mr.  Bing said.

The journalists were from Beijing Press Group, China Daily, International Liaison Department, English news service, and China Radio International.

Arusha -Tanzania mulls new national tourism policy

ARUSHA, Tanzania has started formulating a new National Tourism Policy to replace the old one which has existed for 18 years and does not conform with the latest development in the tourism sector, an official said on Thursday.

Aloyce Nzuki, Tanzania's deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, revealed this when he met with stakeholders who had gathered here to review the National Tourism Policy of 1999.

He noted that drafting of the new National Tourism Policy will consider issues on Conference Tourism, Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites, Eco-Tourism, Beach Tourism and Tourism Supply Chain, among others.

According to Nzuki, for many years, Tanzanian tourism sector has banked heavily on wildlife-based safaris, forgetting that the world is changing and people need other attractions such as cultural tourism, visiting historical sites, eco-tourism, conference tourism and water-based visits featuring beach lazing and sun basking.

He said: "In the new policy, we will see how the public sector can be involved in the tourism business, especially in the hospitality department like accommodation."

He added that Tanzanian government can lead in building hotels to be run by internationally recognized chains.

Nzuki argued that currently, the government is losing a lot of money to international tourist coordination organization who book hotels for tourists but do not remit all money in the country.

"We're currently reviewing the 1999 National Tourism Policy to come up with a new document that will serve as a guideline towards improving the country's tourism industry in the coming years," the official stressed.

Nzuki revealed that tourism sector contribution to the national economy is quite great, saying it contributes 17.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 25 percent of the nation's foreign exchange.

He said the ongoing review of the policy is under the consultancy of the Tanzania's policy research think tank, Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) through the funding from the World Bank.

Raphael Mwalyosi from ESRF observed that the new policy would take in account different forms of tourism.

"The 1999 policy even causes conflicts between institutions within the tourism sector and entire natural resources and tourism ministry, thus the need for a new document," he said.

Leading Elephant Conservationist Shot Dead in Tanzania

 

Wayne Lotter had received numerous death threats while battling international ivory-trafficking networks.

The head of an animal conservation NGO who had received numerous death threats has been shot and killed by an unknown gunman in Tanzania. Wayne Lotter, 51, was shot on Wednesday evening in the Masaki district of the city of Dar es Salaam. The wildlife conservationist was being driven from the airport to his hotel when his taxi was stopped by another vehicle. Two men, one armed with a gun opened his car door and shot him.

Lotter was a director and co-founder of the PAMS Foundation, an NGO that provides conservation and anti-poaching support to communities and governments in Africa. Since starting the organisation in Tanzania in 2009, he had received numerous death threats relating to his work.

Police in Tanzania have launched an investigation into his death.

The PAMS Foundation funded and supported Tanzania’s elite anti-poaching National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) which was responsible for arrests of major ivory traffickers including Yang Feng Glan, the so-called “Queen of Ivory” and several other notorious elephant poachers. Since 2012, the unit has arrested more than 2,000 poachers and ivory traffickers and has a conviction rate of 80%. The NTSCIU was recently featured in the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game. In a previous interview, Lotter said he believed its work had helped to reduce poaching rates in Tanzania by at least 50%.

The latest elephant census data suggests that elephant populations fell by 30% in Africa between 2007 and 2014. Tanzania experienced one of the biggest declines in elephant numbers, where the census documented a 60% decrease in the population.

Lotter rarely took credit for PAMS’ success in helping reduce poaching rates in Tanzania, and was always quick to credit the work of the communities and agencies he worked with.

Lotter was a big figure in the international conservation community, having served on the boards of several conservation groups and was the Vice President of the International Ranger Federation. The news of his death has sent the community into mourning. “Wayne was one of Africa’s leading and most committed conservationists. He had over two decades worth of experience in wildlife management and conservation, and can be credited as the driving force behind ending the unscrupulous slaughter of Tanzania’s elephants,” said Azzedine Downes, CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

“Wayne devoted his life to Africa’s wildlife. From working as a ranger in his native South Africa as a young man to leading the charge against poaching in Tanzania, Wayne cared deeply about the people and animals that populate this world,” read a statement released by the PAMS Foundation team. “Wayne’s charm, brilliance and eccentric sense of humour gave him the unique ability to make those around him constantly laugh and smile. He died bravely fighting for the cause he was most passionate about.

“Wayne leaves behind his wife Inge, daughters Cara Jayne and Tamsin, and parents Vera and Charles Lotter. We all grieve with his family, colleagues and friends. His legacy will continue in our work.”

10 Interesting Facts About The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania You Didn't Know!

Serengeti National Park, in northern Tanzania, is known for its massive annual migration of wildebeest and zebra. Seeking new pasture, the herds move north from their breeding grounds in the grassy southern plains. Many cross the marshy western corridor’s crocodile-infested Grumeti River. Others veer northeast to the Lobo Hills, home to black eagles. Black rhinos inhabit the granite outcrops of the Moru Kopjes. Below are 10 Interesting facts about the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania you didn't know.

1. The Serengeti National Park eco-system is the oldest on the planet. It boasts a diversity of flora and fauna that is unavailable anywhere else on the globe.

2. Serengeti is home to one of the world's seven natural wonders - the more than 1 million wildebeest Migration that crosses the Mara River in Maasai Mara, Kenya in search of the green pastures.

3. About 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation.

4. All three big cats are easily seen. Lions are everywhere and are often found on a kill. Cheetahs are very common on the southeastern plains, while leopards can often be found lazing in one of the big trees along the Seronera River.

5. The Park also hosts one of the largest and most diverse large predator-prey interactions worldwide, providing a particularly impressive aesthetic experience.

6. The park also boasts about 500 bird species , including ostrich, secretary bird, kori bustard, crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, lovebirds, and many species of vultures.

7. Because of its biodiversity and ecological significance, the park has been listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

8. The Serengeti offers good wildlife viewing throughout the year. June and July are the best months for seeing the migration and February is the best month for the wildebeest calving. The dry months from June to October offer the best general game viewing.

9. The Maasai people had been grazing their livestock in the open plains for around 200 years when the first European explorers visited the area. German geographer and explorer Dr. Oscar Baumann entered the area in 1892. The first Brit to enter the Serengeti, Stewart Edward White, recorded his explorations in the northern Serengeti in 1913.

10. The Serengeti gained more fame after the initial work of Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael in the 1950s. Together they produced the book and film “Serengeti Shall Not Die,” an early nature conservation documentary.