Arusha hosts Karibu Kili Fair

MORE than 400 safari buyers and exhibitors will next week converge in Arusha for another edition of the Karibu-Kili Fair tourism expo.

The event, considered as East Africa’s largest tourism fair is also set to attract more than 500 international travel agents.

Briefing reporters here midweek, Karibu-Kili Fair Director, Tom Kunkler said the event was getting bigger and better since 2017.

“We’ve registered a lot of success ever since and it’s been an honour hosting such an event,” he said.

According to Mr Kunkler, this time round the event will be staged on a prepared 30,000 square meter grounds in the city.

The move seeks to provide a fantastic environment to establish new business relations and to improve existing contacts, he said.

Mr Kunkler noted that organisers of the event will use the stage in promoting Meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) as a potential tourism product.

He said that Tanzania was one of the few countries in the world where MICE could benefit from attractive wildlife.

According to the organisers, more than 7,000 visitors will be attending the travel fair from June 2 to June, 2023.

During the fair, speakers from all over the world will have the opportunity to conduct seminars on topics such as sustainable tourism, destination management, and hospitality.

The seminars and interactive workshops will provide travel professionals the chance to deepen their knowledge about international and Pan-African destinations.

The event will also offer an excellent platform for networking and discovering new partners in the fascinating tourism industry of Tanzania where it enables participants to experience the diversity and dynamism of tourism in Tanzania and the entire region firsthand.

Tourism has been one of the backbones of Tanzania’s economy since independence with an amount of 6.57 billion US dollars, equivalent to 10.7 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.