TCT - Launches Partnership Strategy to Boost Country’s Tourism Sector

THE Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT) in collaboration with stakeholders has launched a partnership strategy to boost the country’s tourism sector growth and improve the quality of services as part of efforts to market destination Tanzania.

This was revealed on over the weekend by TCT executive secretary, Richard Rugimbana when launching the partnership strategy at the TCT headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

The strategy is designed to uplift the tourism sector in Tanzania to make perform similarly with other countries around the globe. It will market the available tourism attractions to lure more foreign tourists.

“Tourists are coming in Tanzania because of the quality services that we offer, we have the best tourists’ products such as Serengeti national park, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro crater”, said Rugimbana insisting the improvement in services is due to training offered to stakeholders.

He commended the World Bank for supporting the government in improving the southern circuit tourism through the Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth Project (REGROW).

Through REGROW project, the southern circuit will be known worldwide as well as easy to reach because it involves improvement of infrastructures.

Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr. Hamis Kigwangalla added that the new strategy will strengthen the partnership between the private and public sector.

“We are working with tourism stakeholders to identify the opportunities in the sector so that they are utilized”, said Dr. Kigwangalla adding the government is also working on the challenges stakeholders face to ensure smooth operations.

The Minister asserted that Tanzania targets to receive 500,000 tourists in the next season, calling for concerted efforts to attain the target. He said the government has invested in cruise ship tourism which is the fastest growing segment in the tourism sector so as to increase the number of visitors.

“We have so far received 11 cruise ships from different countries. Our target is to receive over 30 cruise ships per year”, he noted.

“I would like to assure you that my ministry is vigilant of the positive initiatives like this. We are endowed with a number of tourists attractions hence the need to market them accordingly”, he said.

He said the tourism sector accounts for 17 percent of the country’s GDP which is equivalent to 25 percent of the total export earnings.

The enormous economic importance of tourism, especially as an engine of employment, is to date visibly valid as it supports an estimated number of 500,000 direct jobs, he said.

Currently, the statistics show that the number of tourists that toured in Tanzania in 2018 stood at 1.3 million and the Government is targeting to attract 2 million tourists by 2020.