Biteko describes Karibu-Kilifair as important link in tourism sector’s global family

TANZANIA: THE curtain fell in this year’s Karibu-Kilifair Tourism expo on June 8, 2025, at the Kisongo grounds, in Arusha City (Home of the World) within the Arusha region.

The closing of the 2025 edition of the now Africa’s biggest tourism expo has left many positive comments among those who attended the three-day event due to the excellent and high-quality preparations that were made.

Marking a new record number of visitors this (2025) year, Karibu-Kilifair emphasized the high-performing visitor economy and communicated the benefits of tourism in the country during its annual State of the Travel & Tourism Industry event.

More than 15,000 attendees, including exhibitors, trade visitors and international buyers gathered at the Kisongo Grounds, which hosted the event, now one of the country’s economic drivers through the country’s tourism sector is concerned.

Organized by the Kilifair Promotions Company Limited, the Karibu-Kilifair provided the opportunity for the visitors to see and learn how the tourism sector can boost the economies of individuals, how tourism related companies are performing, as well as the how the economies of various countries are working through their respective tourists’ attractions they have.

Designed to inspire participants, this year’s Karibu-Kilifair provided the opportunity for participants to communicate with each other through the B2B workshops, panel discussions, speed networking as well as live stage acts through entertainments and music festival.

According to many participants’ views, this year’s preparations and participation of exhibitors, buyers and visitors, both local and international, are sufficient evidence that the preparations for the now Africa’s best tourism exhibition continue to be unique every year, a clear indication that the event will be sustainable.

“The number of participants from all categories of participation and their increase every year as explained by the government leadership through the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Dotto Biteko who was the guest of honour, is sufficient evidence that the preparations were of a very high standard”, said one of the participants, Mr Daniel Laizer, a resident of Arusha City.

“These exhibitions have clearly proven that the private sector has a significant role in promoting tourism in our country through many means including tourism exhibitions such as Karibu-Kilifair which is currently a hot topic both within and outside the country, especially at the family level”, he adds.

Mr Laizer’s statement echoes the Deputy Premier’s sentiments when opening the 2025 Karibu-Kilifair on June 6, 2025, whereby, along with other praises regarding the exhibition, he directed most of these praises to the private sector in the tourism in the country.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Dotto Biteko, commended tourism stakeholders from the private sector for the great contributions they have and continue to make in promoting the tourism sector in the country.

“Tanzania experienced sustained tourism growth in 2024, attracting 2.14 million foreign visitors compared to 922,692 who arrived in 2021, as well as the increase in local visitors whose number surged from 788,933 in 2021 to 3,218,352 in 2024”, noted the Deputy Prime Minister who represented President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan during this year’s event.

“Both Domestic and international visitors frequented our country’s tourists’ attractions which included the national parks and climbing of Mount Kilimanjaro, the Africa’s highest peak”, he said, adding, you cannot separate these great achievements with the role played by the private sector in improving the country’s tourism sector.

“The sixth phase government came up with specific strategies aimed at improving the tourism sector, which among other things aims to ensure that the number of tourists visiting various tourist attractions in the country increases from more than 1.8 million in 2021 to 5 million by 2025,” says Dr Biteko.

He adds, “These efforts include those made by President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan physically by participating in the Tanzania Royal Tour film which itself has contributed to the increase of tourists visiting Tanzania”.

Dr Biteko goes on to say that it is very encouraging to see the private sector joining hands with the government in its (government) quest to improve the tourism sector in the country.

“These private sector efforts include the Karibu-Kilifair exhibition which is currently one of the best tourism exhibitions in Africa due to being a platform that attracts participants from over 50 countries in the world every year”, he says, adding, Karibu-Kilifair is an important link in the tourism sector’s Global Family.

The Deputy Premier further said that, the government will continue to cooperate with the management of the Kilifair Promotion Company in order to reinforce the annual event so that it (Karibu-Kilifair) continues to be a bridge between nations in developing the tourism sector worldwide.

During the event, Dr Biteko urged the relevant authorities and other stakeholders in the tourism industry to come up with a bold technology strategy so as to catch up with the current growing digital tourism wave in the world.

For his part, the Kilifair promotions Company Limited’s Co-director Mr Dominic Shoo, said that, the exhibition has continued to grow with the numbers of exhibitors and visitors increasing every year.

“This has prompted the organizers of the event to increase the exhibition land area from more than 30,000 sqm to 40,000 sqm this year, of which 1,500 sqm is dedicated to the East Africa Exhibition Pavilion”, he noted.

“Karibu-Kilifair’s mission has always been about more than an exhibition event,” he says, adding, it is also about discovery, connection and meaningful impact for tourism stakeholders from all the parts of the world.

During the closing day on June 8, 2025, Mr Shoo said that, the Karibu-Kilifair organizers will continue with their strategies to create the tourism family through the annual event that will bring positive impact by providing a platform where tourism stakeholders can contribute for the betterment of the tourism sector which is one of the world’s highest job creation sectors in the world.

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“The ongoing achievements of the Karibu-Kilifair now in its tenth season, gives we the organizers the strength to come up with new strategies that are aimed to improve the tourism sector”, he said, adding, Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye) Karibu-Kilifair 2025… Welcome to Karibu-Kilifair 2026.