Samia’s extensive tourism rebranding pays off

TANZANIA: TOURISM has continued to show its resilience in the past three years, thanks to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to boost the sector.

A few years ago, the global economy was ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many countries experiencing devastating impacts. Tourism was among the sectors most affected by the scourge.

Many countries across the world imposed lockdowns, causing difficulties for travellers and further negative impacts on the tourism sector.

However, Tanzania took a different approach by keeping its doors open to tourists while implementing necessary precautions. To ensure the tourism sector remains strong, President Samia decided to create the “Royal Tour,” a documentary highlighting Tanzania’s unique natural scenery and promoting tourism.

The documentary, which premiered in April 2022, has already begun to pay off as the number of visitors continues to increase each year. Tourist arrivals increased by 24.3 per cent to a recordbreaking 1,808,205 tourists in the year ending December 2023, compared to 1,797,347 in the previous period, thanks to the rebound of the tourism sector leading to a surge in travel receipts.

According to the Parliamentary Committee on Land, Natural Resources, and Tourism, the sector earned the country 3.3 billion US dollars (about 8.25tri/-) as of December last year. These earnings are equivalent to 25 per cent of all foreign exchange in the country.

The success has been attributed to President Samia’s strategic plan to improve the sector through the Royal Tour film approach.

The much-heralded documentary, a first of its kind, premiered on public television stations across the United States starting April 21, 2022, followed by its launch in Arusha, Tanzania.

Presenting a report on activities undertaken by the committee in 2023 in parliament recently, the committee Chairman Timotheo Mnzava stated that the tourism sector is a leading contributor to foreign exchange earnings, accounting for more than 20 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He noted that the tourism sector has achieved unprecedented statistics since the country gained independence.

“Tourism experts attribute these achievements to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to market the sector through the Royal Tour documentary,” he said.

Tanzania is ranked at the top of the World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Index for nature-based tourism in Africa. President Samia’s historic launch of the Royal Tour has reinvigorated the tourism sector and increased the number of tourists in the country.

The Bank of Tanzania Quarterly Economic Review for the last quarter of 2023 shows that the number of tourists who visited the country reached 1,790,301, the highest number ever recorded in the sector. In terms of employment, the sector has created 1,600,000 direct jobs, equivalent to 11 per cent of all jobs in the country.

The parliamentary committee Chairman noted that among the backpackers who visited the country for tourism purposes, 58 per cent visited the national parks while 42 per cent visited other tourist attractions, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, beaches, and Zanzibar.

Following the miraculous results of the Royal Tour documentary featuring President Samia, plans are underway by TTB to coordinate the production of four international documentaries, including two continuations of the Royal Tour film and two international documentaries from Hollywood. Mr Nzava said,

“One of the films will be titled ‘Kijiji cha Milele’ or ‘Presidential Tour,’ featuring President Samia and the famous Chinese film actor Mr Jing Dong, while the other documentary will focus on the contribution of the late Father of the Nation Julius Nyerere in the liberation struggle of Africa.” Dr Samia’s initiative did not go unnoticed, as the Indian-based institution—International Iconic Award recognised her.

Similarly, the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) honoured Dr Samia with a special award in recognition of her zeal in promoting tourism.

While presenting the award to the then Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Pindi Chana, TANAPA Board of Trustees Chairperson, General George Waitara (retired) said the conservation agency honoured President Samia for her starring role in the Royal Tour Documentary, which promotes destination Tanzania.