Tanzania: New Tourism Promo Initiative Set for Launch in Dar

MINISTER for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla, is expected to launch a domestic promotion initiative, whose players will be key stakeholders in the tourism sector in

Dar es Salaam on July 1, this year.

A press release issued in the city yesterday said the blueprint dubbed 'Domestic Tourism Promotion Initiative (DTPI)' targeted to raise the awareness of Tanzanians and foreigners living in the country on various touristic attractions available in the country.

"Our efforts are specifically designed to complement the government's efforts to promote domestic tourism and also mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has hit hard the tourism sector," said Steering Committee Chairman of the of the campaign Mkumbwa Ally in the press release.

He said the initiative was the joint effort between St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) and Real PR Solutions, an integrated communications company with specialty in public relations, government relations, corporate event management and sports marketing, among other things.

He said the inauguration campaign under the theme "Utalii Mpya. Fursa Mpya" would also be attended by senior government officials and key stakeholders in the tourism sector such as Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Tanzania Tour Operators (TATO) and Tanzania Hotels Association.

Others are Tanzania Local Tour Operators (TLTO), Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa), Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), Tanzania Tourism Confederation, Tanzania Private Sector Foundations, Tanzania Forest Service Agency (TFS), among others.

"We have also invited the Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports as well the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children due to their key role in supporting the tourism sector," said Mr Ally.

He highlighted some of the key features of the campaign to be conducted in phases as training of the youth across the country in various areas in the tourism value chain further citing them as basic skills on tour guide profession, porter services, customer service training in the hospitality industry such as hotels and restaurants, taxi operators and skills to open tour companies.

"This training to benefit over 100,000 people will focus on the unemployed youth from Form Four and above who have passion in the tourism sector, but lack knowledge on how to move forward. We will start rolling out this campaign in the Lake Zone, covering Mwanza,

Geita, Kagera, Simiyu, Mara and Shinyanga, then move to other zones across the country. There will be also an array of cultural and sporting events which will form part of the campaign," noted the chairman.

Mr Ally further noted that the events would be a forum to bring people together so that their businesses could re-open at full capacity and support the national economy and as well as sustain and create more jobs, while economies were still grappling with the coronavirus effects, adding: "all health precautions will be taken into account to control the spread of the coronavirus at all these events."