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TTB says 1.5m tourist arrivals 'realistic' [Citizen, The (Tanzania)]
[September 02, 2014]

TTB says 1.5m tourist arrivals 'realistic' [Citizen, The (Tanzania)]


(Citizen, The (Tanzania) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) said yesterday it had set a more "realistic" goal of attracting 1.5 million tourists by 2017.

TTB acting managing director Devota told The Citizen that  the board believed that the target was easier to achieve. She spoke after this newspaper, quoting Reuters news agency, reported yesterday that TTB hoped to double the number of tourist arrivals to 2 million by 2017.



Ms Mdachi said TTB had entered into an agreement with English Premier League club Sunderland AFC as part of its campaign to market Tanzania as a preferred tourism destination and attract more tourists.

"Sunderland AFC will provide TTB with various platforms for marketing Destination Tanzania. These will include stadium advertisements and the club's website," she said.


Ms Mdachi added that the club would also  organise a charity climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and a visit to Tanzania by Sunderland AFC officials.

"These activities will draw the attention of Sunderland  fans both in the UK and worldwide." The club will also organise clinics for football coaches and support youth teams in Tanzania.

Tourism is one of a few economic sectors that have shown strong growth in Tanzania in recent years.

Ms Mdachi said tourist arrivals grew from 719,031 to 1,095,884 between 2007 and 2013.  Earnings last year were $1.81 billion.

She added that the sector accounted for 17.2 percent of GDP and nearly 40 per cent of total export earnings.

The increase can be attributed to an increase in promotional activities in various markets in the past five years.

"Tanzania's participation in travel fairs/exhibitions in these markets, the use of celebrities and prominent figures and aggressive promotion by Tanzanian embassies abroad has helped to promote not only tourism but also investment opportunities in Tanzania," Ms Mdachi said Frequent flights into and out of the country by carries such as Qatar, Oman Air, Emirates and Turkish Airlines has also boosted tourism.

The TTB acting boss said the international marketing strategy undertaken in collaboration with the private sector had also played a key role in fronting Tanzania as a key tourist destination in Africa.

"Our efforts are now focused on concentrating  the limited financial resources on existing markets and new markets such as China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa," she said.

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