Tanzania: A Wonderland in Africa

What could be more exciting than travelling to a new place and discovering all that the place has to offer? What could be more fascinating than the breathtaking sceneries, rare wild animals, diversity of culture and more? Blessed with a plethora of stunning islands, Tanzania is known for Mount Kilimanjaro, which is Africa’s highest mountain and also for its famous game reserves. On 29 October 1964, the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania is gaining popularity in the tourism sector worldwide. More and more tourists are getting attracted to this amazing country largely due to the fact that it is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa. This makes tourism safe for every tourist from outside the country and even from within the nation. Moreover, Tanzania is the home of the tallest mountain in Africa, its national pride Mount Kilimanjaro.

The beautiful tall mountain, whose cap is surprisingly covered in snow is a magnificent sight. For the lovers of mountain climbing it presents a great challenge as this is 5840m high. With the help of experienced and courageous tour guides, who will lead you through the safe paths, even amateurs can fulfill their long term dream of seeing the famous Uhuru torch at the top of the mountain.

Among the other tourist attractions one cannot forget to mention the incredible Ngorongoro Crater which is found in the town of Arusha. The crater is the host to many different animal and plant species as well as a rare sight because it is filled with water which is only seen if one climbs at the very peak of the crater or flies over it in a jet.

The national parks are huge areas filled with exotic plants and animals. There is no better way to observe and discover nature in all its beauty than to take a trip to one of the multiple national parks and see the amazing animal life in all its beauty.

Zebras and antelopes, giraffes and buffaloes, lions and leopards, one has to see to believe the beauty of the African national parks. Mikumi National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Manyara National Park are some of them .

In each of these the tourists will be comfortably accommodated within safe lodges in gorgeous safari style where they will be able to try local cuisine and feel at home while surrounded by wilderness. The diversity of Tanzanian people and culture cannot be ignored. That is also one of the amazing things about Tanzania: it has so many different religions and tribes but yet all of them live in tolerance and peace.

The tourists will be glad to discover different cultures, lifestyles, traditions and customs as well as note interesting details such as dressing styles, traditional dances, languages some of which are on the verge of extinction, traditional weddings and the like. All in all, in this heavenly corner filled with golden beaches, sky blue waters, friendly people and magnificent sceneries, a trip to Tanzania is certainly a trip of one’s lifetime. It is truly a wonderland.

Tanzania: Tourism Won't Be Affected By Forex Shop Clampdown'

THE recent clampdown on forex shops in Arusha has not and will not have any effect on the tourism industry, the government assured yesterday.

Fielding questions from reporters shortly after winding up his familiarization tour of Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr. Constantine John Kanyasu, said the well-coordinated exercise that rocked the region on Monday had left the 2bn US dollar sector stable, adding that tourists continued to make the most of the myriad of attractions found in the country.

"The crackdown by the central bank hasn't affected the sector in any way as tourists and other players continue to enjoy services offered by the ministry," clarified the deputy minister.

The government's assurance comes amid growing fears that the crackdown and the ultimate closure of a number of Bureau de Change outlets will affect the sector which accounts for 25 per cent of foreign exchange earnings in Tanzania while also creating about 600,000 jobs.

There were fears that Arusha, which is revered as the country's tourism hotbed, was likely to face an economic downturn following the clampdown of the forex shops which enters its fourth day, today.

A spot-check by the 'Daily News' yesterday, established that a good number the outlets that deal in the exchange of foreign currencies still remained closed.

A section of Arusha residents who spoke to this paper said they could still access the service from some NMB bank branches and the Bank of Tanzania (BOT) branch in the region.

Speaking here on Tuesday, Central Bank governor, Prof Florence Luoga said the crackdown was aimed at unearthing and exposing unlicensed forex shops.

According to Prof Luoga, the exercise which also involved members of the Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces (TPDF) also sought to revoke licenses of forex shops that were alleged to be involved in money laundering.

Meanwhile, the deputy minister for natural resources and tourism urged tourism stakeholders and conservators to keep politics out of the conservation.

"If we continue to peddle politics in matters of conservation, we will end up with no parks," cautioned the deputy minister.

He further challenged TANAPA to expeditiously resolve the conflicts pitting the organization mandated with the regulation and the use of National Parks in the country with district councils and villages.

He, however, commended the parastatal organization for operating profitably, saying the government was reaping fortunes in the form of revenues from TANAPA.

In his rejoinder, TANAPA Conservation Commissioner, Allan Kijazi told the deputy minister that the organization had in this financial year allocated 2.5bn/- in land use planning and management as a way of addressing land related conflicts with 392 villages surrounding the 16 national parks it manages.

Dr. Kijazi noted that it was also using the 'good neighborliness’ as a way of resolving such disputes.

"Such conflicts have not only wasted much of our time and resources, but they have also affected our core business which is conservation," explained Dr. Kijazi.

According to the Conservation Commissioner, TANAPA will strive to foster its relationship with communities and villages that border its national parks.

Tanzania: Massive Boost for Tourism From China

A CHINA'S multinational business, Touchroad International has signed an agreement with Tanzania Tourism Board to bring in 10,000 tourists next year.

According to a statement issued yesterday the agreement was signed in Shanghai, China on Tuesday on the first day of a nine-day long TTB road show in China to promote Tanzania's tourist attractions to China, currently the global leading tourism market.

Under the agreement the Shanghai-based company will fly in tourists using a special chartered plane.

The signing ceremony was graced by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, TTB and other government officers.

Shanghai was the first point for the road show that begun with the meeting that was officially opened by Dr Nzuki. From Shanghai it will go through five cities namely Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chengdu and ending at Beijing until next Tuesday.

TTB Board Director, Ms Devotha Mdachi presented the country tourism attractions and investment opportunities.

During the meeting some 200 Tanzania and China tourism stakeholders had a chance to showcase their tour packages tailor made for Chinese market.

Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL) was among stakeholders corporate that show case their package being flying to Guangzhou next February.

The road show was organised by the Tanzania embassy in China in collaboration with TTB.

Tanzania: Dar, Berlin in Talks Over Dinosaur Revenue Sharing

THE government is holding talks with Germany on possible sharing of revenue from a dinosaur ferried from Lindi Region to the European nation more than hundred years ago.

The Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Japhet Hasunga, said yesterday that from the talks, the government is targeting to establish how much is being collected from the skeleton and how can the government of Tanzania benefit from it.

The skeleton is preserved at the Humboldt Museum in Germany and it is considered as the main tourism attraction at the museum. According to him, progress of the talks would determine whether the government will have to bring back the dinosaur fossils into the country or not.

"But it has to earn us (the country) money", he said in Dar es Salaam when addressing a press conference about government's plans to promote tourism attractions situated in the southern regions. The Deputy Minister went on to explain that the skeleton was 22 meters in length and 13.7 meters height. It is one of the largest mounted dinosaur fossils on permanent exhibit in the world.

"Therefore, it would be difficult to have it back into the country," noted Mr Hasunga, adding that until now German hasn't been able to reveal how much it has collected from the dinosaur fossils. The European nation has been funding various conservation projects in Tanzania.

"We believe that part of the money that they have been spending on supporting various projects here is earned from the remains of the dinosaur that was ferried to Germany a century back," added the Deputy Minister.

On board, Mr Hasunga was optimistic that presence of the fossil in German is one of the ways of marketing Tanzania abroad, adding that the dinosaur is considered as the country's ambassador on tourism and scientific research to many countries in the world.

However, he said that it would be difficult to bring back the skeleton because it was assembled using modern technology that isn't available in the country.

"It would be a bit difficult to bring back the dinosaur fossils from Germany because as a country, we lack the capacity and technology required to preserve and display the remains for tourism purposes," he said.

Tanzania Tour Operators Contribute $211,000 to save Wildlife

Tanzania tour operators have so far poured more than $211,000 into a Serengeti de-snaring program meant to combat a new form of poaching.

In 2017, a handful of tour operators, the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), and Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) joined forces to fight against this silent and deadly form of poaching in the Serengeti.

The De-snaring Program, the first of its kind, has the objective of removing the widespread snares set by local bush meat mongers to catch massive wildlife within the Serengeti National Park and beyond.

Today, 16 months down the lane, the Public-Private Partnership has proved to be an apt model to save the wildlife population in the Serengeti, the Tanzania’s flagship national park.

FZS Project Manager, Mr. Erik Winberg, says that the program with a $211,000 package from tour operators has successfully managed to collect 17,536 snares, 157 animals released alive, 125 poacher camps discovered, and 32 poachers arrested.

He was updating tourism stakeholders during the Mwalimu Nyerere day commemoration organized by the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) under the main theme, “Commemoration of Mwalimu’s unrivaled contribution on conservation,” and sub-theme, “Public-Private-Partnership model in conservation initiatives: The case of De-snaring Program in Serengeti National Park.”

“The PPPs often seen as [an] appropriate form for financing big infrastructure projects are also suitable in wildlife conservation projects, [as] the Serengeti de-snaring program can prove,” Mr. Winberg said.

TATO Councilor and the Serengeti de-snaring program’s volunteer coordinator, Ms. Vesna Glamocanin Tibaijuka, says tourism stakeholders have put more than $211,000 to where their mouths are in the last 16 months.

Subsistence poaching in the Serengeti became large-scale and commercial, putting Tanzania’s flagship national park under renewed pressure after a lull of two years.

Wildlife in the Serengeti, a World Heritage site, had started to recover from a decade-long ivory poaching spree, which almost brought the elephant and rhino populations to their knees.

As if that is not enough, the probably forgotten and silent but deadly bush meat poaching within the Serengeti Park is now putting the world’s greatest annual wildlife migration across East Africa’s plains under a new threat.

The planet’s largest wildlife migration — the annual loop of 2 million wildebeest and other mammals across Tanzania’s legendary national park of Serengeti and Kenya’s renowned Maasai Mara Reserve — is a key tourist lure, generating multi-million dollars annually.

The Serengeti National Park Chief Warden, Mr. William Mwakilema, confirmed that a yet neglected subsistence poaching is becoming a real threat, as local people have adopted wire snares to catch massive animals indiscriminately, thanks to human population growth.

One of TANAPA’s directors, Martin Loibok, commended the partnership, saying such kinds of cooperation was needed for the conservation drive to be sustainable.

“I would like to praise TANAPA for living the legacy of Mwalimu Nyerere on [its] conservation drive. TATO members have always been grateful the job well done in our national parks and even more importantly for the recent addition of new parks,” TATO CEO, Mr. Sirili Akko, explained.

Tanzania is working to Restore an 800-year old city, Buried under rocks at Engaruka Escarpments of Monduli District.

Tanzania is working to restore an ancient city, buried under rocks at Engaruka escarpments of Monduli District, to promote tourism in its recently launched geopark, according to an official from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA).

Engaruka is recognized as the remains of the largest abandoned system of irrigated agricultural fields and terraces in sub-Saharan Africa. It was once thought to be a ‘lost city’ of up to 40,000 inhabitants. 

It was mysteriously abandoned about 200 years ago.

John Pareso, an official with the NCAA, said that efforts to excavate, restore and protect the ruins of ancient stone structures, which are thought to be of the 800-year-old “lost city of Engaruka,” have started under the recently launched Ngorongoro-Lengai Geopark.

“Remains of these stone buildings here have been scientifically proved to date back to between 500 and 800 years ago, indicating advanced civilization that may have existed in northern parts of Tanzania nearly one thousand years ago,” he said.

The ruins also indicate that the people of that era ran a very efficient irrigation system, whose infrastructure can still be seen within the ruins.

Archaeological experts are still trying to find out what caused the ancient Engaruka settlement to be abandoned or destroyed.

Tanzania, with the support from the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) and through the Ngorongoro-Lengai geopark, is working to restore the ruins.

Prince William Looks in high Spirits as he Arrives in Tanzania.

Prince William looks in high spirits as he arrives in Tanzania on the next stop of his African tour to highlight conservation efforts.

• William, 36, attended a  reception in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Wednesday.
• He also met President John Magufuli after flying to country from Namibia. 
• Royal is there to learn about how Tanzania is combating the illegal wildlife trade.
• The Duke of Cambridge is currently enjoying a six-day visit to Africa.

The Duke of Cambridge, 36, attended a reception in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday night, where he met with people working in conservation.

He also had a meeting with Tanzania's president John Magufuli after flying to the country from Namibia.

Earlier today, William visited the port in Dar es Salaam to witness some of the challenges faced in combating the illegal wildlife trade.

The Duke of Cambridge is in Tanzania to raise awareness of the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference taking place in London in October, and to learn more about the conservation work taking place in the country.

Kensington Palace says the royal is making the 'private working trip' as president of the United for Wildlife group and patron of Tusk, another conservation organization. 

The royal has already visited Namibia, after landing in the capital on Monday. He will visit Kenya, where he proposed to the Duchess of Cambridge, before flying back to the UK.

While in Namibia, William revealed that Kate is 'immensely jealous' of his trip to Africa, as he will finally be able to get a good night's sleep away from his children.

Kate, 36, has stayed at home to look after the couple's young children Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, who is just five months old. 

Addressing guests at a reception in the country's capital, William said: 'I’m delighted to be visiting Namibia for the first time. I'm only sorry that my wife Catherine is not able to join me – she is immensely jealous.

'Particularly as I'm looking forward to a few good uninterrupted nights' sleep this week away from my wonderful children!'

He added: 'My visit to Namibia this week is focused on conservation. This is an issue very close to my heart, and I know is a matter of deep pride to you all as well.'

During his trip to Namibia, William viewed the work of Save the Rhino in Kunene, before later meeting members of the local community involved in the Kunene People's Park Initiative.   

Tanzania Pass $1.7 Million Budget to Beef Up Tourism

Government agency Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) has given the green light for proposed $1.7 million funds allocation to spice up the country's fastest growing sector. The industry has raked in millions of returns for the Government and had a positive economic impact on the country's GDP. Tourist arrivals in 2016 had soared by 12.9% to reach 1.2 million. The marketing strategy has panned out well for the sector.

TANAPA is looking to add more impetus to make the industry competitive regionally and continentally. Some of the funds will be used to support infrastructure development for ease transportation of the tourists in some areas where they are barely accessible. Upgrade of security to ensure that the lives of human beings and wild animals are secure and that both do not trespass against each other's territories.

At least five game reserves have been promoted to national parks and the parastatal could use some of the finances to beef them up. They include Biharamulo, Burigi, Kimisi, Ibanda and Rumanyika. It is vital to ensure their standards are at par to harvest as many tourists as possible and better the performance of the industry. This should guarantee better returns for the Government and good news to the country's GDP. They should also create employment opportunities for the communities around such as tour guides and game wardens.

As the Government makes such amendments, investors have been called upon to seize the business opportunities. The promotion campaign to gain the attention of tourists and investors in France, Italy and Germany should attract investors to the industry. Other development projects could use the investors' support and ease the financial burden on key stakeholders.

ALSO, READ: Tanzania beats South Africa as preferred tourist destination:

https://www.exchange.co.tz/tanzania-beats-south-africa-preferred-tourist-destination 

It is estimated that by 2028, Travel and Tourism could account for 795,000 jobs. The country has hosted a number of big names who have graced their presence to experience the wild of the country.

Tanzania Fastest Growing Destinations For Irish Tourist Revealed.

Tanzania, the Maldives and Hong Kong have been revealed as the top three fastest growing tourist destinations booked with Ireland’s largest independent travel specialists, Travel Counsellors. Since last November, bookings for the east African country of Tanzania have risen by 399%; the Indian Ocean archipelago, the Maldives by 196%; and Hong Kong by 135%.

On the top European destinations list for bookings, Travel Counsellors reports Spain in first position, up 6% in bookings, followed by Italy, Portugal and France.

Long haul destinations in general are also up across the board, with Travel Counsellors today reporting that bookings for winter 2018/2019 have increased by 26%. Summer 2019 long haul is also up, rising by 345% when compared to the same booking period last year.

As it has done in the past few years, the USA is topping the long haul booking list for the coming year, and is up 30%. This is followed by Mexico (up 36%); Australia (up 14%); United Arab Emirates (up 53%); and South Africa (up 22%).

The Maldives is becoming increasingly popular with honeymooners, couples, and families. Travel Counsellors say many of the islands offer all-inclusive so what appears to be expensive at the outset, actually is good value for money as you have little to spend when you get there.

Commenting on the report, General Manager of Travel Counsellors Ireland, Cathy Burke said, "The strength of long haul travel is continuing, and this is being led by greater direct access options, better value, and the rising cost of holidaying in Europe. For these reasons, bookings in the past nine months for next summer have tripled when compared to the same period last year."

Tanzania: Tourism Horizon Seems Bright for Tanzania and Kenya

A recent report from a study by Pricewaterhouse Coopers International (PwC) indicates that, Tanzania and its immediate neighbour, Kenya, will record major boom in the hospitality industry from the current year, 2018, all the way to 2022.

According to the study titled 'Hotels outlook: 2018-2022', Kenya will benefit from a rebound in tourism, new hotels, its growing prominence as an experience destination, infrastructure upgrades, and the expectation of post-election political stability.

"We expect tourist arrivals to Kenya to increase 8.8 percent in 2018, building on the pickup in December 2017. Going forward, assuming a period of relative stability, we expect tourism to Kenya to increase at a 6.9 per cent compound annual rate, rising to 2.06 million in 2022 from 1.47 million in 2017."

The report stated. Tanzania's hotel room revenue amounted to US $206 million in 2017, which according to the report, was a decline of 5.5 percent compared to the previous 2016 record and this was 'due to a slight drop in the number of guest nights.

However, the report paints a rosy picture of the economy, projecting a growth of 10.2 percent for 2018 when the hospitality industry in the country is to once more escalate to even higher levels. Tanzania gets around 1.5 million visitors in a year.

The country's tourism industry is however concentrated in the Northern Zone Circuit pivoted in Arusha, whose travel industry radius covers Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks.

The Hospitality Industry Leader for PwC Southern Africa, Mr Pietro Calicchio, stated that tourism to the African continent has proven to be resilient in the face of economic and political uncertainty, impacts of droughts and other regulatory changes.

"The hotels and tourism sectors in each of the countries in our report are all showing signs of continued growth over the forecast period. Tourism remains an important part of each economy. However, the smallest change or disruption can have a fundamental impact on the future growth of each market," a statement from PWC reads.

Travel experts in Arusha are pointing out that Tanzania is in an even better position to fill its hotels to capacity because many residents from neighbouring countries of Kenya and Burundi like to tour the country.

The Chairperson for the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Mr Willy Chambulo, revealed recently that over 500,000 regular visitors to Tanzania are people from Mozambique, Bujumbura and Nairobi.

Mr Chambulo, who also runs a tour company and variety of tourist hotels, explained that out of the average 1.5 million tourists coming to Tanzania on annual basis, 535,870 are people coming from countries within the African continent itself.

"Kenya, as it seems, leads the pack by bringing here 198,000 leisure visitors, while Burundi follows with 48,210 tourists and Mozambique contributing around 45,000 visitors," he said, adding: "As it happens, Kenya, with nearly 200,000 Tanzania-bound tourists, tops the list among countries that bring more visitors here, beating even the United States of America (USA) which sends here around 110,000 tourists every year.

Tanzania Tourism Toasts Effects of Tax Relief

Tourism players in Tanzania are likely to raise their glasses to toast for remarkable earnings this year, thanks to the state for granting them a tax relief in a bid to spur industry growth.

In the 2018/19 budget tabled in parliament on Thursday last week, the Finance Minister, Dr. Phillip Mpango proposed to scrap off import duty on various tourist’s vehicles in an effort to stimulate the development of key sector of the economy.

Tourism is Tanzania’s largest foreign exchange earner, contributing an average of $2 plus billion annually, which is equivalent to 25 percent of all exchange earnings, the government data indicate.

Tourism also contributes to more than 17 percent of the national gross domestic product (GPD), creating more than 1.5 million jobs.

“I propose to amend the fifth schedule of the East African Community – Customs Management Act, 2004 in order to provide import duty exemption on various types of motor vehicles for transportation of tourists” Dr. Mpango tabled before the National Assembly in the country’s capital city of Dodoma.

The vehicles that would be imported duty-free in July 1, 2018 once the amended law comes into force include Motor Cars, Sight Seeing buses and overland trucks, which are imported by, licensed tour operators and must meet specific conditions.

“The objective of this measure is to promote investments in the tourism sector, improve services, create employment and increase Government revenue” he told the ongoing parliament.

Chairman of Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Wilbard Chambulo was moved by the state to waive the import duty, saying the tax exemption is a sigh of relief to its members, as it will save them $9,727 for each imported tourist vehicle.

“Imagine before this relief some tour operators used to import up to 100 new vehicles at ago and pay $972,700 as import duty alone. Now this money would be invested to expand the company to create more jobs and revenues” Mr Chambulo explained.

It is understood, TATO had fought consistently for this to happen, and now its chief is grateful to the government for being considerate to their consistent scream, terming this move as a win-win deal.

Available records indicate that tour operators in Tanzania are subjected to 37 different taxes, comprising business registration, regulatory licenses fees, entry fees, income taxes and duties for each tourist vehicle per annum, among others.

The TATO chairman argued that the contentious issue is not only how to pay myriad taxes and make profits, but also the modality and time spent in complying with intricate taxes.

“Tour operators need streamlining of taxes to ease compliance because the cost of compliance is so high and as such it acts as obstacle for voluntary compliance” Mr Chambulo explained.

Indeed, a study on Tanzanian tourism sector indicates that the administrative burdens of completing license tax and levy paperwork place a heavy cost on businesses in terms of time and money.

For instance, tour operator spends over four months to complete regulatory paperwork, whereas in tax and license paperwork consume his or her a total of 745 hours per year.

The report done by Tanzania Confederation of Tourism (TCT) and BEST- Dialogue, shows that average annual cost of personnel to complete regulatory paperwork per local tour operator is Tsh 2.9 million ($1,300) per year.

Tanzania is estimated a home to over 1,000 tour companies, but official data shows that there are as few as 330 formal firms complying with tax regime, which is likely to be due to the complexities of compliance.

This means that there could be 670 briefcase tour firms operating in Tanzania. Going by the annual license fee of $2000, it means that treasury loses $1.34 million annually.

However, the Finance Minister, Dr. Mpango also promised through the budget speech that the government is to introduce a single payment system where businessmen would be paying all taxes under one roof to offer them a hassle-free taxes compliance.

Dr. Mpango also scrapped off the various fees under Occupational, safety and Health Authority (OSHA) such as fees imposed on application form for registration of working places, levies, fines related to fire and rescue equipment, compliance license and consultancy fees of shillings 500,000/- ($222) and 450,000 respectively ($200).

“The Government will continue to review various Levies and Fees imposed by Parastatal Organizations, Institutions and Agencies with a view to improving business and investment environment” the Minister told the Parliament.

TATO CEO, Mr Sirili Akko is optimistic that if the budget would be endorsed by the Parliament and implemented the way it is, it would open up more opportunities for investors who in turn would unlock the tourism potential.

Tanzania: National Parks to Get International Certification for Improved Tourism

Arusha — The Tanzania National Parks is gearing towards getting the International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification for improved service provision in its tourism division.

Speaking in an interview with the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) television, the Director General for TANAPA, Dr Allan Kijazi said the process to acquire ISO certification has reached promising levels and that once National Parks gets this accreditation, the country's tourism industry profile will reach higher levels.

TANAPA plans to record 1.03 million tourists that are expected to visit its National Parks this year and that in the course of next year, at least 1.14 million tourists will sample the attractions. The institution contributes 37bn/- to the national coffers from its tourism activities and targets to increase this reach 45bn/- in the coming fiscal year 2018/19.

Tanzania receives around 1.4 million tourists per annum, but 90 per cent of this traffic usually heads to the well-known Northern Zone attractions of Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater.

The Tanzania National Parks itself oversees a total of 16 Game Parks in the country but its cash cows are mainly the Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks.

To offset that dependency onto the Northern Zoon Circuit, TANAPA has jumped onto the government's bandwagon to open up the Southern Circuit through the 'Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (REGROW) Project.

Launched recently, the REGROW project targets to strengthen the management of protected areas and promote nature-based tourism in Southern Tanzania, in the tourism precinct known as the 'Southern Circuit' and contribute to the diversification of livelihoods in selected communities.

"We are starting with the aggressive promotion of Ruaha, which is the country's largest National Park; Mikumi and Udzungwa Mountains," explained Dr Kijazi. He assured that poaching activities in his parks have almost disappeared and some of the existing conflicts between members of the local communities and management of National Parks are in the process of being solved amicably.

Kilifair and Karibu Tourism fair about to Open in Mount Kilimanjaro

Fabulous and premier tourism exhibition the Kilifair and Karibu Tourism fair is set for grand opening Friday this week with expectation to attract attracted more than 400 exhibitors from key tourist markets of Africa, United States and Europe.

The Kilifair and Caribou tourism exhibition organisers said that the event had attracted over than 280 tour companies from countries such as USA, Canada and South Africa.

Organised by KILIFAIR Promotion Company, the premier tourism exhibition will take place from June 1st to 3rd in Moshi on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, northern Tanzania.

Carrying a banner of “Your Gateway to East Africa Tourism”, the fabulous tourism exhibition is expected to provide  a networking platform for stakeholders from around the world to share experiences, establish new business relations and improve existing contacts, organizers said.

Organisers said the premier KILIFAIR 2018 tourism exhibition represents promotion of the Kilimanjaro region the home of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa before the world through potential agents and buyers from Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

More than 4,000 visitors are expected to visit the three day event tourism fair which has become the biggest and most important Tourism Trade fair in East Africa. Tourist Boards from Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Kenya have confirmed to participate in the fair.

About 100 foreign exhibitors are expected to participate the three-day exhibition that will boost Tanzania and East African tourism at regional and international levels.

Through a partnership with other regional tourist and travel trade exhibition organisers, KILIFAIR team is as well, expected to attend major fairs including the Magical Kenya, Pearl of Africa Uganda, WTM London, ITB Germany and WTM Africa in Cape Town.

Director from KILIFAIR promotions chief executive Tom Kunkler said the premier fair has introduced another indoor Tourism Expo in Tanzania and East Africa.

KILIFAIR and KARIBU Fair have recently joined into a single tourism and travel exhibition entity, targeting to market the African tourism on the foot hills of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tourist icon.

The two travel trade show organizers, KARIBU Fair and KILIFAIR have recently joined into a single tourism exhibition with organizers expecting to pull in more partners and key players in the tourism industry across East Africa and the entire African continent.

Under such a special arrangement, KARIBU Fair and KILIFAIR will annually alternate between Moshi and Arusha, then two sister tourist capitals in East Africa. The other such joint tourism fair will take place in Arusha next year, the Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Mr. Siril Akko, said.

He said the two travel trade organisations have aimed to create the largest and most important tourism trade fair in East Africa under one roof.

The KARIBU Travel and Tourism Fair (KTTF) was established about 15 years ago with high-end success in tourism development through its annual shows in Arusha.

Standing as the most competitive and dedicated travel market that brings the Eastern and Central African region and the world under one roof, providing overseas tour agents with an ideal platform to maximize their networking opportunities, KARIBU Fair has been listed among competitive travel shows taking place in Africa.

KILIFAIR stands as the youngest tourism exhibition entity to be established in East Africa, but, has had succeeded in making a record-breaking event by attracting a magnitude number of tourism and travel trade stakeholders.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the leading tourist attraction in East Africa and pulls in crowds of visitors all year round. The annual fairs include days of business networking and workshops for the tourism industry aiming to boost Tanzania tourism, as well as tourism in the Kilimanjaro region, a fast-growing locality on the African continent.

Attracting exhibitors from different African countries, the premier KILIFAIR Exhibition takes place in May or June every year, drawing a sizeable number of exhibitors, travel trade visitors, buyers and sellers from various corners of Africa, as well as guests from other parts of the world.

Moshi and Arusha are the leading safari capitals in Tanzania, taking advantage of the premier wildlife parks including Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Arusha and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Govt Directives Harming Tanzania's Tourism Sector

Tanzania's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism said on Monday that a decision by the government to revoke tourist hunting permits has discouraged investment in the key sector.

Reacting to budget proposals from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism yesterday, members of the committee told the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma that the move also violates wildlife laws and is a setback to growth of the industry.

Nape Nnauye, the House team chairperson, said the decision to revoke the tourist hunting permits is against the 2009 Wildlife Act and has made investors jittery.

"Section (38) of the Wildlife Conservation Act states that the lasting period for a hunting license is five years, but the ministry revoked the licenses three years before the lawful tenure," he said.

"An analysis by the committee has established that various statements by the ministry on the hunting blocks were against laws and not only did the statements discourage investors but they also subjected the government to losses in revenues."

Vunjo Member of Parliament, James Mbatia, also linked slower growth of the sector to arbitrary State directives that caused uncertainty. He pointed out that tourist arrivals had been increasing by about 13 per cent between 2012 and 2016 but grew by just three per cent in 2017.

"This is definitely caused by haphazard announcements and directives issued by the government," said Mr Mbatia today. He also noted that tour operators in Tanzania were over-taxed, saying it was a burden to sector stakeholders.

Hunting debate

The legislators' remarks are only the latest in a years-long debate on the contentious subject of trophy hunting.

Tourism Minister Hamisi Kigwangallah revoked all tourist hunting permits in October last year saying the licences would be re-applied through auction. In September 2015, the Tanzanian government came under pressure to suspend legal hunting but said it did not believe the practice had fuelled wildlife poaching.

Former Tanzania Hunting Operators Association chairman Eric Pasanisi said the proposed suspension of trophy hunt tourism will adversely affect wildlife conservation, as a large chunk of conservation funds come from the activity widely condemned by conservationists.

The neighbouring country has allowed trophy hunting over the years while Kenya banned the activity in the 1970s.

While licenced trophy hunters argue that it helps in the conservation of game such as elephants and lions, environmentalists say cash from controlled hunting safaris employs few Tanzanians and that earnings from it aren't significant enough to local communities to justify killing wildlife.

Apart from Tanzania, game hunting is also legal in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Tanzania: Record 300 Tycoons Visit Serengeti National Park

Arusha — About 300 rich Australian traders are in the country on a game viewing experience of the country's famous National Park, Serengeti.

Seronera Airstrip in Serengeti was over the weekend overwhelmed by nearly 50 four-wheel drive vehicles that were waiting to receive the 298 tourists from Australia who landed in the national park for extended three day tour.

Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Dr Hamisi Kigwangala said the government was thrilled to receive the visitors, saying more strategies are underway to boost the sector. "We have already launched the strategy to attract more tourists and open up new markets in various countries, the coming of Australian tourists shows that our strategies are working," said Dr Kigwangala.

He said the sector expects 200,000 new tourists every year, adding that his office plans new strategy to introduce Tanzania tourism sector as 'Tanzania, the land of the unforgettable'.

The Minister added that the ministry and Tanzanian Ambassadors abroad are doing everything in their capacity to attract more tourists in the country.

Tanzania National Park (TANAPA) Public Relations Officer Paschal Shelutete insisted that the Australians' presence in the country was yet another confirmation that the tourism sector in the country was growing, thanks to ongoing efforts to advertise the country's various tourist attractions

.The visitors jetted into the country aboard the Qantas Boeing 747 plane, branded the 'Spirit of Australia,' which landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) over the weekend. Mr Shelutete said the landing of the rich tourists has marked a new history in the Tanzania tourism sector.

He said it was the first time Tanzania received a big number of tourists at once. According to Mr Shelutete the tourism business is now on low season and that receiving such a big number of tourists marks a new history in the country.

"We always receive 100 up to 120 tourists at once, this time around we have received over 250 tourists at once, this is history," he said. It was established that soon after disembarking from the large plane, the passengers did not waste time; they were driven into smaller aircrafts that flew directly into the 'endless plains' of Serengeti for the intended spectacular game viewing.

They apparently by-passed Arusha en-route to the country's famous national park. The tourists left Sidney Australia on April 22 and they have so far covered, Hanoi, in Vietnam; Delhi (India) for Taj-Mahal.

They are currently in Serengeti before departing tomorrow for Marrakech, Morocco. From Morocco, they will head to the United States and land in New York, then target Havana in Cuba before flying into the French Polynesia Island of Tahiti and afterwards complete their global touring in Sidney on May 12, 2018.

'Qantas,' which is the acronym for 'Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services,' is the flag carrier of Australia and so far the largest airline by fleet size, international flights and international destinations.

This was the first time, one of its aircrafts landed at KIA but on 'Constellation Private jetting.' 'Qantas,' is the third oldest airline in the world, after KLM and Avianca, having been founded in November 1920 before starting its international passenger flights in May 1935.

Israeli Business Executives set for Tourism agenda Forum in Tanzania

Israeli business executives are set to participate a two-day forum in Tanzania this week to chart out cooperation areas for investment in which Tanzania and the State of Israel would venture. Scheduled to take place in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam on Monday and Tuesday next week, the Tanzania Israel Business and Investment Forum (TIBIF) will attract investments in tourism which Israel companies have been looking to capture since the past two years.

The forum is expected to bring together more than 50 investors, prominent business owners, entrepreneurs, government officials and private sector executives from both Tanzania and Israel. The Israeli delegation will be led by Mr. Ayelet Shaked, the Minister for Justice of the State of Israel, the Forum organizers said.

Tanzania and Israel are seeking to boost bilateral relations, seeking to attract more Israeli tourists and business people to visit and invest in this African safari country.

Tanzania Tourist Board had launched marketing campaigns targeting Israeli tourists in large numbers, while a number of Tanzanians were looking to travel to Israel on religious pilgrimages. Already, there are tourist charter planes from Israel landing in Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.

The number of pilgrims from Tanzanians planning to visit the Holy Land, are expected to increase after positive campaigns to market tourism and travel between the two countries launched the last two years.

Israel’s historical sites are the Christian Holy places of on the Mediterranean coast, the City of Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee and the healing water and mud of the Dead Sea.

Tanzania has been among African countries attracting Israeli tourists who mostly prefer touring wildlife parks and Zanzibar. The number of Israel tourists to Tanzania had increased from 3,007 in 2011 to 14,754 in 2015, according to data available from the Tanzania Tourist Board.

Tanzania National Parks: Heavy Rainfalls have Destroyed some key Infrastructures

Lake Manyara National Park in northern Tanzania tourism circuit is temporarily inaccessible, thanks to ripple effects of the heavy rainfalls.

Located on the edge of Great Rift Valley, about 126 km west of Arusha city, Lake Manyara National Park, is probably a small, but the most stunning park, save for Serengeti. Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) says the last night’s heavy rainfalls have destroyed some key infrastructures leading to the national park, making the tourist attraction site inaccessible.

“The drift for crossing Marera River, nearly a kilometer from Lake Manyara National Park’s main gate, has been swept away by water, temporarily making the tourist attractions out of reach” TANAPA’s Corporate Communication Manager, Mr Pascal Shelutete said.

Mr Shelutete, however, allayed tourists’ fears that TANAPA’s engineers have already deployed on site, taking all means necessary to restore the drift in order to resume the services within a day.

“As we speak our engineers are on site, working extra time to ensure the drift is restored so that we can resume our services to our dearest tourists within a day” he explains. Commenting, drivers and tour guides told NCA that Tanzania National Park engineers are doing extra efforts to restore the crossing drift.

“I’ve no doubt that the services would resume soon as my tour guide on site told me that the TANAPA engineers are really working overtime to restore the swept drift” .

Covering about 330 kms, of which two-thirds is underwater, Lake Manyara National Park is a small park but very beautiful and contains tremendous diversity of habitats, animals and especially birds. The Park is located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley, and offers excellent game viewing and bird life.

The landscape is so diverse that its mammal and bird lists are some of the most impressive in Tanzania.

The park includes a significant portion of the lake and its shores and also large areas of ground water forest with fig and mahogany trees alternating with acacia woodland and open swampland's. Lake Manyara National Park offers varied ecosystems, breathtaking views and incredible ecological variety in a small area, rich in wildlife and amazing numbers of birds.

Lake Manyara game includes Buffalo and Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra, Warthog, Impala, Kirk’s Dik Dik, Waterbuck near some of the springs, and Klipspringer on the slopes of the escarpment.

The Park has a large Elephant population and is most famous for its tree-climbing Lion.

Very obvious are the huge troops of baboons – which often number in several hundred and are widely regarded as Africa’s largest.

The park provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife.

The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life; more than 400 species have been recorded. These include thousands of pink-hued flamingos as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets, stilts, stalks, spoonbills and yellow-billed storks.

Tanzania: Government Set to Step Up Fight Against Poaching, Trafficking

Dodoma — The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla, says his office will continue fighting poachers, smuggling of forestry products and taking legal measures on civil servants behind such illegal trades.

Speaking at the 25th workers meeting planned to draw new ideas and deliberate on issues facing the ministry, the minister said reports now show that some dishonest staff were conniving with criminals to commit such crimes.

"It ranges from smuggling of logs to poaching ... we've information some officials within the ministry are helping criminals commit the offences," the minister said, adding, "... we will clean up the place ... of all those working with criminals.

" The minister says such offences were already causing huge losses in government revenues, but could not provide estimates monies lost, but stressed that only commitment to observing rules and procedures by officials in the ministry would help end poaching, smuggling and wildlife trafficking - and begin positive contribution to increased tourist arrivals and hence more revenue collection. Tanzania recorded 1.2 million arrivals in 2016, which brought in $2.1 billion, which had gone up to 1.3 million by last month, with a total of some $2.2 billion.

The minister reminded ministry officials of the need to ensure they raised revenue collection, saying "... it's through more revenue (collection) that we can improve tourism services within the country." Permanent Secretary Maj Gen.

Gaudence Malinzi has meanwhile said that his ministry was considering setting up a 'specially trained' army to beef up the fight against poaching, smuggling and trafficking. He said that, effective next September, the ministry would be holding a national heritage and tourism festival to promote the country's culture and tourism sectors.

Tourism Fair Organisations Join Together in Northern Tanzania.

Leading tourism and travel exhibition organisers in Northern Tanzania – the Karibu Fair and KILIFAIR – have recently joined into a single tourism and travel exhibition entity, aiming to gain more mileage in tourism and travel trade in Africa.

The newly-formed tourist exhibition entity have organized a joint tourism show that will take place in the Northern Tanzania’s tourist town of Moshi in the Kilimanjaro region, the first of its kind in East Africa.

The two travel trade show organisers – Karibu Fair and KILIFAIR – have recently joined into a single tourism exhibition, and organisers expect to pull in more partners and key players in the tourism industry across East Africa and the entire African continent.

Reports from Arusha and Moshi are that all the leading safari centers in Tanzania said the two travel trade exhibition organisations have joined together, aiming to add more mileage in the tourist business in Africa.

The first touring exhibition under an umbrella of the two travel trade organizations is expected to kick-off in Moshi from June 1-3 of this year with expectations to attract over 350 exhibitors, mostly from Eastern, Southern, and Central Africa, plus hosted and semi-hosted buyers from the rest of Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. About 4,000 trade visitors are expected to participate in the 3-day tourism fair, reports said.

It was also reported that the 3-day event that will take place at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and will be the first of its kind in East Africa by its magnitude of exhibitors, visitors, and travel trade gatherings to take place on the course of the event.

Under such a special arrangement, Karibu Fair and KILIFAIR fair will annually alternate between Moshi and Arusha. The other such joint tourism fair will take place in Arusha next year, the Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Mr. Siril Akko, said.

He said the two travel trade organizations have aimed to create the largest and most important tourism trade fair in East Africa under one roof.

The Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair (KTTF) were established about 15 years ago with high-end success in tourism development through its annual shows in Arusha.

The KTTF 2017 is the premier East African regional tourism show and one of the top two “must-visit” events of its kind in Africa with a superb, secure, and more convenient venue in a natural setting with an ideally-designed layout, making it the biggest and only outdoor tourism fair in Africa.

Standing as the most competitive and dedicated travel market that brings the Eastern and Central African region and the world under one roof, providing overseas tour agents with an ideal platform to maximize their networking opportunities, KTTF has been listed among competitive travel shows taking place in Africa.

KILIFAIR stands as the youngest tourism exhibition entity to be established in East Africa, but, has had succeeded in making a record-breaking event by attracting a magnitude number of tourism and travel trade stakeholders.

The KILIFAIR exhibition targets to promote Tanzania as an African safari destination, focusing on global tourists visiting northern Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro, the premier tourist zone of East Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the leading tourist attraction in East Africa and pulls in crowds of visitors all year round. The annual fairs include days of business networking and workshops for the tourism industry aiming to boost Tanzania tourism, as well as tourism in the Kilimanjaro region, a fast-growing locality on the African continent.

Attracting exhibitors from different African countries, the premier KILIFAIR Exhibition takes place in May or June every year, drawing a sizeable number of exhibitors, travel trade visitors, buyers and sellers from various corners of Africa, as well as guests from other parts of the world.

Moshi and Arusha are the leading safari capitals in Tanzania, taking advantage of the premier wildlife parks, including Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Arusha, and Mount Kilimanjaro.

The two safari towns are well connected to global tourist networks through Nairobi, the Kenyan capital city, and the East African safari hub.

Tanzania's Big Win At the Oscars a Plus for Tourism

Tanzania might not have had any expectations at the 2018 Oscars but they were East Africa's biggest winners on the night.

Ugandans of course were hoping that British-born Daniel Kaluuya would win Best Actor for his role in the horror comedy film Get Out, and Kenyans were crossing fingers for Watu Wote, nominated for the Best Short Film.

Following Academy tradition, Oscar nominees were treated to lavish swag bags from sponsors from marketing company called Distinctive Assets.

Here is the Tanzanian connection. This year the nominees received really extravagant gift bags with more than $100,000 worth of goodies including an exclusive voucher for a 12-night luxury safari in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.

The voucher covers adventure-packed excursions during the day and luxury lodges and tents at night, surrounded by the famous Big Five and wildebeest, zebra, hyenas and other abundant wildlife.

Luxury safaris don't come cheap and this is a big boost for Tanzania tourism which has been on the rebound lately, proving that the marketing, quality and product offering are paying off by attracting big spenders. And they don't come bigger than Hollywood's A-list.

Tanzania is also the only country in the region whose tourism advertising graces the stadia hosting the English Premier League games.

To give perspective to the 12-day safari, the goody bag entails not one, not two, not three but four vacations. There is a stay at Avaton Luxury Villas Resort in Halkidiki in Greece, which overlooks the Athos Peninsula and the Aegan Sea, where the gods supposedly lived.

Then there is a week-long stay at Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu in Hawai'i. It's a luxury five-star resort with waterfalls and it's very own tropical rain forest.

Last is a week-long spa trip at the Golden Door in southern California for indulgence at the popular celebrity SoCal spa, Golden Door. It offers massages, skin, body and hair care.

Other gifts include a conflict-free diamond necklace. Among those who received the goody bags are Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep and Margot Robbie who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in I, Tonya as disgraced US figure skater Tonya Harding.

Wildlife in Major game Reserves face Threat as Mara River Dries up

Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and the adjoining game-controlled areas have only one year-round river, the Mara. However, the drought that has continued ravaging various parts of the country now threatens wildlife in the world-famous parks as the as the Mara River, which serves as the heart of tourism in these areas is on the verge of drying up.

It is evident that the water level in the key river has reduced drastically, portending danger in the near future. The destruction of the Mau Forest complex, the source of the river, has been blamed for the current situation. The drying up of the river spells doom for tourism prospects at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

ANIMALS DYING:

A spot check of the river reveals that crocodiles and hippos are dying as the Mara and its tributary, Talek River, are drying up. Wildebeests and zebras, among other wild animals, have been crossing the dry river beds, heading to Tanzania to seek for greener pastures.

In some parts of the river is now just a small channel.

Crocodiles and hippos are competing for pools of water that remain along the almost drying river. Conservationists also argue that the Mara ecosystem is now more polluted than ever before and is still under enormous threats arising from human activities. The Mara is a trans-boundary resource shared by Kenya and Tanzania and it covers an area of 13,500 square kilometres with 65 percent of it being in Kenya.

ECOLOGICAL DISASTER

The conservationists warn that the drying up of the Mara River whose source is the Mau Forest is one of a series of ominous signs that could lead to an ecological disaster. The river covers three counties of Bomet, Narok, Kericho and Nakuru which also are part of the Mau Forest ecosystem, a critical catchment of the Mara River basin.

“This climate change issue and occupation of the Mau Forest is negatively affecting wild animals and is causing changes in their breeding grounds, animal populations, increased animal deaths, changes in migration routes and patterns,” said Mr Parmataro Lemein, a wildlife scientist based at Matira camp.

Mr Lemein’s concerns are inspired by the irregular flow of the Mara and its main tributary, Talek River, which has become more and more extreme, with conservationists warning it might cause a collapse in the wildebeest populations, thus hampering the entire migration cycle that sustains the Maasai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

FIGHT FOR SPACE

“Aquatic life is being threatened here. Hippos and crocodiles are fighting for space in the pools of water that equally have turned dirty due to stagnation. The water is diminishing, causing stress to the underwater animals and often (resulting in) regular fights over territory,” added Mr Lemein.

The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem coordinator Nick ole Murero noted that there has been constant migration and dispersal of wildlife in the recent past and attributed it to the changes in climate and destruction of the Mau Forest, the source of the river.

“The climate in the Mara is becoming unbearable. The animals tend to move to other areas where they can be able to survive. The Mara River is a source of life but there is no water,” said Mr Murero. He said thousands of hippos, elephants, wildebeests, and buffaloes have migrated to Serengeti park in Tanzania after several streams and water dams within the Mara dried up.

POPULATION GROWTH

Local tour operators and hoteliers have so far raised the red flag over the current human population growth rate coupled with excessive exploitation of natural resources within the core areas of the Mara River basin.

However, all is not lost.

Last week the Narok County government imposed a permanent charcoal ban and logging following widespread outcry over loss of forests, a fact that continues to expose Kenya to the vagaries of climate change.

Governor Samuel ole Tunai’s announcement came two days after Deputy President William Ruto suspended logging in all forests in the country for the next three months as water levels in major rivers countrywide continued to drop at alarming levels.

LOGGING BAN

Mr Tunai said all logging activities in Mau Forest, Nyakweri Forest in Transmara, Enoosupukia Forest in Narok East and Loita Forest in Narok South have been banned and declared illegal.

“We are also rolling out a massive afforestation programme to plant trees in the Mau and along the riparian areas of the Mara River,” said Mr Tunai. Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala hailed the ban on charcoal burning and logging by both the county and national governments, saying it will go a long way in saving both human and wildlife along the Mara River basin.

“The Mara River ecosystem is the lifeline of people in this region. There is therefore an urgent need for communities living along the basin to embrace the conservation efforts being put in place.”

WOMEN operators in tourism industry will meet for a one-day symposium dubbed 'Women in Tourism 2018' in Serengeti National Park this week to discuss the role of women in society and participation of women in the labour market.

The meeting will be held on February 25 this year, in Asilia's Dunia Camp, an all female operated property in the Serengeti National Park.The event is being organised by Hotels Association of Tanzania in collaboration with association of Women in Tourism Tanzania (AWOTTA) and Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB). The Chief Executive Officer of the Hotels Association of Tanzania (HAT), Ms Nura-Lisa Karamagi, said yesterday that the occasion will bring together women from private and public sectors who are in the tourism industry to discuss and share experiences about the barriers and challenges facing women in the industry and how they are being overcome.

"The forum is meant to show the public that women play a significant role in the growth and development of tourism sector and are continuously challenging themselves to even greater roles - especially ones that have been traditionally thought to be the reserved for men --- from aviation to game ranging. Their potential to make meaningful contribution to the growth of the sector should not be underestimated," she stressed.

The Serengeti symposium is planned to be a curtain-raiser for this year's annual International Women's Day that will be celebrated next month. The theme for this year's international women's day is to Press for Progress. The seminars will discuss barriers inhibiting women from taking up potential opportunities to advance themselves in the sector and how Tanzania can advance initiatives being taken to change the stereotypes surrounding the role of women in society.

The host of the event, Dunia camp, is one of the unique examples of a camp that is breaking some of the stereotypes. The CEO said women around the world have more choices now but are still under represented in many levels. She commended the fact that women are holding top positions but, she added that "the positions do not necessarily come with the authority to make decisions.

" In Tanzania, she explained, unemployment for women stands at 12.3 per cent as against 8.2 per cent for men. In cities unemployment for women stands at 32 per cent while that for men is 11 per cent.

She said in Tanzania tourism industry is the second largest service sector that has enormous potential to employ and empower women even in positions that have traditionally been considered for men.

The symposium will draw women from the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, the Ministry for Education and Vocational Training, Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, TANAPA, NCAA, TAWA.

Tanzania plans to Construct 15 Airstrips to serve Southern Tourism Circuit

A Tanzanian senior official said on Wednesday the government planned to construct 15 airstrips in the southern circuit of the east African country to boost tourism.

Hamisi Kigangwalla, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the construction of the airstrips will go in tandem with the diversification of tourist attraction centers.

"The southern tourist circuit is overwhelmed with too many attractions. It needs to be improved to attract more tourists from across the world," Kigwangalla told the National assembly in the capital Dodoma.

The minister said the government's focus for now was to develop the southern tourism circuit and look for other tourism products across the country.

He said airstrips to be built at four national parks in the southern tourism circuit will facilitate smooth transport services to local and foreign tourists.

Kigwangalla said the airstrips will be built at the Selous Game Reserve, the Ruaha National Park, the Mikumi National Park and the Udzungwa Mountains National Park.

Kigwangalla, responding to a number of issues raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism, said improvement of the southern circuit will also involve construction of a road from Iringa town to the entrance of the Ruaha National Park.

He told the House that tourism was among the number one sectors with huge contributions to the country's foreign currency earnings, adding that in the 2016/2017 financial year tourism contributed 2.1 billion U.S. dollars.

He said the tourism sector contributed 17.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 12 percent of employment.

Kemilembe Lwota, the vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism, faulted the government over poor marketing strategies to advertise the country's tourist attractions within and outside the country.

Lwota said it was high time the government put in place strategies to identify, improve and market tourist attractions to be able to get intended revenues.