By Meddy Mulisa in Bukoba
PLANS were underway for an investment forum aimed at identifying tourism value chain available in Kagera Region.
L-Vic Investments
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Anic Kashasha told reporters that the
investment forum is due to be held for two days on December 28-29, this
year.
"This is a special
investment forum to be held for the first time in Tanzania. Stakeholders
will utilise the opportunity to identify key tourism areas suitable for
investments. Various topics will be presented allowing extensive
discussions".
"Among topics
include tourism policy guidelines, attractive potentials available in
Kagera Region and value chain experiences by tour operators, hoteliers,
tour guides and cultural organisers," he said.
This will be the second investment forum to be held in Kagera Region.
On August this
year, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa invited investors both local and
foreign to invest in Kagera Region by constructing medium and large
processing industries due to its conducive environment and political
tranquility.
The move comes few
days after another initiative on new Tourism Fair and Investment Forum
aimed at exposing tourism opportunities found in the Lake zone and
Kigoma Regions so as to attract foreign and internal tourists to visit
attractions found there was introduced.
The Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof Adolf
Mkenda told the regions administrative secretaries (RAS) from Lake Zone
and Kigoma Regions in Mwanza recently that emphasized on the need to
speed up the process of establishing tourism and investment fair in the
region.
He said that the
agreement made early December this year to plan strategies and enable
the envisioned Tourism Fair and Investment Forum to take place so as to
expose some tourism attractions and opportunities found in Lake Zone and
Kigoma Regions they made agreement to speed up the process in order to
present the idea to the regional commissioners and ministers for
implementation.
Tourism is a sector
which contributes a lot of money into the national coffer through the
national parks, game reserves and forest reserves which are also found
in the Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions but until now about 80 per cent of
tourists visit in northern part of Tanzania to observe Mount Meru,
Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Manyara, Tarangire since places were exposed
long time ago.
The Lake Zone and
Kigoma Regions can make good tourism attractions since there are number
of natural attractions found like presence of national parks and forest
reserves mentioning Sanane Island, Ibanda, Kyerwa, Burigi, Lubondo, Lake
Victoria and Kijereshi which have variety of wild animals, birds,
snakes, crocodiles and other attracting creatures.
"From now there is a
good communication network in this area like a large Mwanza Airport,
good road transport and marine transport what is needed is to announce
these opportunities so that they become well known, this will open
investment from the private sector to devote to do business," he said.
He added that for
the country to succeed in tourism sector there is a need to open other
areas which were not known previously while having a lot of tourism
attractions and Lake Zone is a unique area so the government has a role
to play to encourage private sectors to join so as to speed up the
process.
Mwanza Region
Administrative Secretary (RAS), Mr Christopher Kadia who was a
Chairperson of the meeting said that their aim was to work hard to
ensure the tourism sector is able to stand in Lake Zone and Kigoma
Regions to enable the nation to collect a lot of revenue.
He said that what
is supposed to be done was to open new tourism opportunities by
embarking on a big campaign to expose the area to the wide audience
through tourism fair and Investment Forum.
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