TOURISM INDUSTRY GROWTH: Govt to craft more strategies

ARUSHA: PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has said that the government will continue to come up with strategies to strengthen natural resources and tourism sector, as key pillar of the country’s economy.

The PM expressed the commitment on Friday during the launch of the Conservation and Tourism Awards held in Arusha.

The awards aim to foster competition among stakeholders in the country’s natural resources and tourism sector.

“The natural resources and tourism sector is a significant source of national income, encompassing various economic activities,” Majaliwa said.

“This sector alone contributes 21.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with 17.2 per cent from tourism and 4.3 per cent from forestry and beekeeping,” he said.

He said that the sector generates 30.9 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings, with 25 per cent attributed to tourism and 5.9 per cent to forestry and beekeeping.

Highlighting the achievements under President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership, Majaliwa said the sector’s remarkable growth, with international tourist arrivals increasing by 96 per cent from 922,692 in 2021 to 1,808,205 in 2023.

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“Our President’s visionary efforts have also resulted in a 68.2 per cent rise in revenue from international tourism, climbing from 2 billion US dollars in 2021 to 3.4 billion US dollars in 2023,” he added.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to establish clear and well-known criteria for the selection and awarding process in the conservation and tourism sectors.

“These criteria should, among other factors, emphasise excellence in environmental conservation, quality tourism services, effective wildlife conservation management and the sustainable development of tourism destinations,” he said.

Furthermore, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ambassador Dr Pindi Chana, praised President Samia’s dedication to ensuring the rapid growth of the sector.

“We are immensely grateful to Dr Samia for opening doors for us to showcase our country to the world. Through tourism, national income continues to grow, creating more employment opportunities, increasing foreign exchange earnings and strengthening the Tanzanian shilling,” said Dr Chana.

Dr Chana highlighted the collaborative efforts behind the achievements in the tourism and natural resources sector, saying that contributions from the public and private sectors, international institutions and citizens at large have made it possible.

“Various successes we proudly celebrate today in these sectors are a result of significant contributions from the public and private sectors, international institutions and the general public at large.

It is this partnership that propels us forward,” she added. She called for continued cooperation among all stakeholders to ensure that tourism remains a robust driver of the national economy while preserving Tanzania’s unique cultural and natural heritage for generations to come.

She highlighted the ministry’s strategies to enhance conservation and promote tourism, including the use of advanced technologies, expanding the Tanzania – The Royal Tour programme and developing new tourism products to increase visitor numbers and tourism revenues.