Thursday, November 17, 2016

Saadani Park registers booming business, pledges sustainability

ANNE ROBI in Bagamoyo
SAADANI National Park has recorded booming tourism, a trend expected to continue in the coming years, the park’s development authority has announced.

The park’s Acting Chief Warden, Mr Lomi Ole Meikasi, said the number of visitors grew by 84 per cent between 2005 and 2015. “The park welcomed a record of 450,000 tourists in 2015 from 3758 recorded in 2005,” he said, adding that the growth is expected to surpass in 2016.
Mr Meikasi made the revelation when speaking to a team of women journalists who toured the park through Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) sponsorship. He said the massive record brought in over 1.3b/- revenue collection....an increase of 95 per cent of 49m/ collected in 2005.
The park recorded the majority of international tourists compared to the local. According to Mr Meikasi, the growth is attributed by a good management plans set by the park authority to ensure increased and quality tourists’ attractions and services.
“We do a lot of advertisements of the parks destinations in and outside the country promoting and marketing the park,” said the park’s Chief Operator, Ms Aipakunda Mungure.
She said the park’s authority strived to ensure that new and quality tourism products that attract both local and international tourists are availed every year to keep the pace of tourism growth in the park.
On the other hand, Mr Meikasi told the visiting journalists that good management has seen control of many issues facing the smooth growth of the park, including poaching and illegal hunting.
Mr Meikasi said the park recorded no incidences of elephants poaching cases and illegal hunting in 2015 contrary to the past years. Since 2005, the park recorded six incidents of elephant poaching.

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