So much to experience in Tanzania SiTE

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa

Cooped up in the city you can easily forget you live in a country where majority of the population lives in ‘rural’ areas.  While the word rural seems blasé, in Tanzania it uncovers all manner of touristic attractions. 

A real Leopard post mortem, dried  property of TANAPA
exhibited at the SiTE Tourism Expo 2017

With seven of the world’s heritage sites found here including; the highest free standing mountain in the world Mt Kilimanjaro. Second largest game reserve in Africa-‘Sealous’; Serengeti National Park’s Ngorongoro crater; the ruins of Kilwa and Songo Mnara. As well as Zanzibar’s Stone Town and Kondoa rock art site in the centre of Tanzania.

Bismark rocks on Lake Victoria
in Mwanza City Northern Tanzania. Photo courtesy of TTB

This was well emphasised at this year's SiTE-Swahili International Tourism Expo in it’s third annual showcase. That happened this October  at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's Tourism Board launched this expo since 2014, to open Tanzania’s doors to the world & its residents but mainly to “…provide networking opportunities between various tourist stakeholder businesses, all over the country. Also to link them with international buyers in the tourism sector. Who we’ve flown here to foster a lasting business relationship with our tourism industry.” Geofrey Tengeneza-Principal Public Relations Officer Tanzania Tourism board (TTB) www.tanzaniatourism.go.tz

On the left Viazi vya Juu & Viazi vikuu
 (Upper Potatoes & Main Potatoes) the
viazi vya juu grow above ground this
 is Linus Kalisto showing
me to them from the cultural tourism stall 

This year the expo had the highest recorded exhibitors in its history 114, ranging from travel agents, hoteliers, souvenir shop owners, safari tours guides as well as Tour Operators in culture tourism.  A facet of tourism that is gaining ground in Tanzania with over 60 programs running across the regions of Tanzania. Offering tourists close encounters with the local population, inviting the visitor to participate in daily activities like coffee farming. Cooking local cuisines, fishing as well as an array of guided tours to treasured local spots. 

The 'Ibucha' Kata at the
Culture Tourism Stall inside
 the SiTE Expo 2017

“Water or mbege (a local brew of the Chagga tribe in Kilimanjaro)  that you drink from the ‘kata’ (an elongated cup of the calabash), has a better taste than that drunk from a plastic cup or a glass. Now because of globalisation and the cheaper availability of plastics the tradition of the kata is suffering. You see to have a Kata, you have to grow its plant for a year…you can’t leave it in the sun it can break…In our tours we allow our visitors to drink from these katas… This is the ‘ibucha’ kata which is bigger. It’s used in social gatherings passed on from person to person, as a gesture of support and kinship…”Linus Kalisto of ‘Mkuu Cultural Tourism Enterprise’ in Rombo Kilimanjaro, explaining to me why in his stall he had katas hanging on it’s ceiling.

This Expo managed to bring 25 international buyers invited by TTB apart from those who flew in on their own. The buyers mostly from Europe were well appreciated by the exhibitors, who this time around also came from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mauritius & Madagascar. “I remember when we started only Uganda was here from outside of Tanzania…” Nassra A Haji Marketing Officer Zanzibar Commission for Tourism-ZCT

“We ended up in SiTE because we’re ready to be here, we’re competitive enough, confident in what we do, so why not come to the market and face it.” Fransis Kato Sales & marketing officer of Ahadi Lodge. 

Francis Kato with his colleague Ignor of Ahadi Lodge
in their stall inside SiTE expo 2017

He shared that Ahadi lodge was with new management for the past six months or so, that through participating in two similar expo’s earlier this year namely Karibu & Kili Fair.  Where the organisers of Kili Fair also organised this year’s SiTE “We've grown from 4-5 operators to now having 21 tour operators. Since we participated in these fairs for the last six months…”  Francis continued, he added that Ahadi lodge expects with SiTE to hire even more tour operators.

He did express concern on local tourists, a market he didn’t see enough of at the expo. “TTB is doing a great job but they are like an arrow pointing us where we need to go…but we need Air Tanzania right there. That’s a first key player…they’re the only ones who will make ‘utalii wa ndani’ (local tourism) really work.”

Photo of local Queen taken in the early 20th Century,
 shownat the cultural tourism stall inside SiTE Expo 2017

The slogan ‘utalii wa ndani waanza na wewe’ (local tourism begins with you) has been harped on by TTB and ZCT adamantly with efforts including. Adverts in the local media, sponsored school trips for students, tourism promo tapes on local buses going up country running fairly regularly. 

“Our research in 2008 let us know that there’s been wrong perceptions among Tanzanian’s on tourism. Thinking it’s for foreigners only or that it’s too expensive. (Tourist Cite entry fees in Tanzania are halved for the locals, a sentiment that many tourist businesses echo) Basically a stickling to habits that say relaxing only involves, time at the local pub or a visit to the local beach. When we began our campaign back in 2009, statistics showed that 200,000-250,000 local tourists toured per year. Till now the figures have risen to almost 1,000,000 local tourists per year…” Mr Tengeneza from TTB

Though a significant bump, compared to our population of 50,000,000+ there’s still aways to go in harnessing this local market. Plus challenges that face the tourism industry in Tanzania, also lie in pulling sufficient foreign tourists to the country.  As overall prices are still high in comparison to neighbouring countries like Kenya. Part of this has been due to expensive travel, a factor that was made worse with the lack of local air travel. Which is why since last year with the resuscitation of the country’s airline ‘Air Tanzania’. Local tourist businesses like Francis Kato’s have big expectations.

“We are back & strong looking to serve our clients, as one of the main sponsors of this expo our aim is to announce to the public. That we are here to make travel, particularly within Tanzania more efficient. Already I am amazed in these three days at the tourists who on seeing our stall are like, oh we didn’t know you were flying there… We have regular flights to Mwanza, Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Songea, Mbeya, Zanzibar, Mtwara, Tabora & Kigoma within Tanzania our rates are affordable with 27 kilos allowed for economy & 7 as hand luggage…” Lily Tungamtama Acting Public Relations Officer Air Tanzania. 

Matema each in mbeya along side lake Nyasa. Photo courtesy of TTB

Prodding Lily to share on what Air Tanzania is doing in order bridge, what is still a wide expanse of destinations. That though with big tourist attractions the airline doesn’t fly to like Iringa, that has the Ruaha National Park. She conceded that costs like expensive landing fees by the government are making it difficult to expand rapidly.

Speaking of challenges professional services is another area that Tanzania has received criticisms within its tourist industry. Speaking with Nassra of ZTC on this, she affirmed that the infrastructure is there with 17,029 beds available on the island ranging from 5 stars to lower level guest house as of 2016. Whereas of July this year the islands received 263,551 tourists. She acknowledged the personnel services have to improve if the figure is to rise to 500,000 tourists per annum. As is the projected vision by 2020 with the ZNZ government.   

“ Until recently Zanzibar’s colleges only offered courses in tourism up to diploma level…In efforts to upgrade, our college ZIToD (Zanzibar Institute for Tourism Development) is linked to SUZA (State University of Zanzibar). Where SUZA has now started to offer degree courses in Marketing Tourism and Hospitality…” Nasra A. Haji-ZTC

Zebra's in Ruaha National Park in Iringa Tanzania
photo courtesy of TTB

When you go online to know of Tanzania’s touristic attractions,  you’ll realise it has a lot to offer in its docket, compared to other countries in the region. However it seems its government has yet to listen closely to the needs of its stakeholders in this industry. For despite its efforts to revive air strips like the one in Ngombe & Katavi. The resulting high landing fees don’t equate progress.

“Say in Kenya the entry fees to tourist attractions are more affordable for foreign tourists than ours, their government has subsidised those fees. Our visa’s are more expensive, basically the process from booking to arrival is more cumbersome for us comparatively…we still face challenges in our laws. Like last years vat increment of 18%, which were given immediately with no grace period to let our clients know. Our clients book 1 year or 2 years in advance or even 3 years. Now I have a booking for 2020 and the agent has already paid 50%, so when you come back to them a year later saying there’s an 18%. It ruins your relationship…” Luice Sales & Marketing- Antelope Safaris Tanzania 

These links & contacts below are incase you'd like to visit or know more of the various tourist packagaes in Tanzania. As gained by me from this EXPO

Seedlings at the Cultural Tourism stall inside SiTE expo 2017,
on Rau Eco & Cultural Tourism table. These seedlings are
of an endangered tree in Northen Tanzania, that tourists
get a chance to plant on their offered packages

Tanzania Tourism Board info

www.tanzaniatourism.com -- 'Cultural Tourism registry in Tanzania'' +255 22 2116420, md@tanzaniatourism.go.tz

Cultural Tourism & Tours info

www.rauecoculturaltourism.org --= +255 769 335 359, rauecotours@gmail.com, info@rauecoculturaltourism.org

www.engarasero.org -- +255 686 908 137/ 784 769 795/ +255 27 2050025; culturaltourism@gmail.com/ engareserotourism@gmail.com

www.tengeruculturaltourism.org-- +255 754 960 176/ 764 557 748/ 756 981 602;
tengeru_cultural_tourism@yahoo.com/ brightsoap@yahoo.com

Red Banana's grown only in Mto wa Mbu
and the experience offered showed
to be my Wesley Kileo
of Mto wa Mbu
Cultural Tourism Enterprises

www.longidoecotourism.com--+ 255 787 855 185/ 767 855 185/ 715 855 185/ 784 243 042; info@longidoecotourism.com, touryman2017@yahoo.com, allymwako@gmail.com

www.mtowambu.org-- +255 767 606 644/ 784 606 654; mtoculturalprogramme@hotmail.com

www.oldmoshiculturaltour.com--- +255 752 420 026/ 717 003 078; oldmoshi2016@gmail.com

www.ahadi-lodge.com-- +255 788 523 463/787 183  087; info@ahadi-lodge.com, sales@ahadi-lodge.com

 www.antelopesafaris.com-- +255 22 215 3361-3, info@antelopesafaris.com

www.greenfoundationtz.org-- +255 756 981 602/ 754 960 176/ 764 557 748; brightsonp@yahoo.com

www.mkuuculturaltourism.com -- + 255 629 952 842/ 629 952 842; mkuuecotourism@gmail.com

rauecoculturaltourism.org -- +255 769 335 359; rauecotours@gmail.com; info@rauecoculturaltourism.org

www.kilimanculturaltourism.com -- +255 765 143 737/ 782 324 121; info@kilimanculturaltourism.com

Tonga Textile's stall selling products
from Zimbabwe inside the SiTE Expo 2017 

Made in Tanzania products info

Honey
 www.followthehoney.com-- +255 767 163 360/ 622 678 066, sophia@followthehoney.com

Moringa, Mlonge Products (I was given a tester, I totally endorse them.)

Tanzi Farm
Frank Komba-- +255 665 928 080; kombafrank74@gmail.com; Uhuru Heights, mezanine floor, Posta, DSM, TZ

Furniture from local Tanzanian Grass

Mazengo
www.mazengo-furniture.com-- info@mazengo-furniture.com; +255 764 557 748/ 677 557 748

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