TOURISM conservationists have been urged to embrace innovation in promoting their services and utilise modern technology to share information about tourist attractions more effectively.
The call was made by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Nkoba Mabula during the opening of a capacity building training session for tourism conservationists in forest reserves and heritage centres, held recently in Arusha.
The training, organised by the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), is part of the government’s efforts to enhance the tourism sector and improve the management of forest tourism areas. He stressed on the importance of using technological advancement to better advertise the existing opportunities in tourism sector.
“Today, life is at your fingertips. It is crucial to use modern tools to reach wider audiences quickly. Social media marketing is essential, and everyone managing these sites should have a social media account to create and share content, enabling us to promote tourism more effectively,” he said.
He said that modern technology plays a crucial role in promoting national tourism attractions, noting that it also streamlines operations and enhances efficiency.
“This is our opportunity to promote our tourism packages. In the past, advertising was challenging, but now we provide direct access through links where visitors can choose destinations and plan their trips independently. Let’s accelerate the launch of websites and mobile apps to streamline our work,” said Mr Mabula He also underscored the importance of providing exceptional services to tourists to further boost the number of tourist and revenues.
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He highlighted the need to enhance tourism attractions, pointing out that Tanzania’s unique sites, such as wildlife parks, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Ngorongoro Crater, need continuous development to boost the tourism sector noting that the government aims to attract 5 million tourists and generate 6bn/- Us dollars in revenue by 2025.
He stressed the need to further develop forest tourism, which remains relatively untapped.
He added that the sector remains one of the top sources of foreign revenue, contributing approximately 17.2 per cent to GDP in 2023. The number of tourists rose from 1,527,230 in 2019 to 1,808,205 in 2023, marking an 18 per cent increase.
He also reaffirmed the government commitment in supporting TFS to promote forest and heritage tourism. Mr Mabula commended the trainers for organising the session and encouraged participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve their work efficiency.
“These training sessions are part of our strategy to boost tourism. It’s important to implement what you learn and foster innovation in your areas of responsibility,” he said On his part, TFS Conservation Commissioner, Prof Dos Santos Silayo, said that the government, with support from various stakeholders, is taking steps to ensure the sector’s growth noting that TFS is improving infrastructure, enhancing its digital presence, and introducing sports and event tourism projects.
Furthermore, Director of the Tourism Department in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Thereza Mugobi, commended conservationists for their efforts in creating new tourism products noting that their innovations have increased tourist numbers and revenue.
