Tanzania tourism delegation to Qatar. PIC: Ayeni Olusegun
Tanzania intends to capitalise on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to promote the country as a tourism destination and promote it as an investment-friendly environment, officials have disclosed.
A delegation from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (Tanzania) and Ministry of Tourism and Heritage (Zanzibar) said the country’s vast natural environment, conservation areas and pristine beaches are ideal places for tourists and investors in the hospitality sector.
According to the delegation, around 495 Qataris visited Tanzania before the pandemic, but the number dropped to 185 during the pandemic.
“The main target is to reposition ourselves, especially now when Qatar is hosting the World Cup,” Fatma Khamis, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, told a media roundtable in Doha.
“The whole world will be here, and I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to present our country as a destination for tourists and investment opportunities.
At the same time, we are looking to forge partnerships with Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways, and Qatar Chamber to promote investments and tourism on both sides,” she added.
Prof. Eliamani Sedoyeka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, said Tanzania would host the Swahili International Tourism Expo (S!TE) in Dar-es-Salaam next month, a platform that will attract tourists from across the world, including Qatar.
“Our target is to ensure that we create a relationship between business people from both countries. We also plan to explore physical infrastructure. We have seen how Qatar has developed in the past 10 years, and we feel that if we have a similar plan, investors will be attracted from Qatar to Tanzania,” Prof. Sedoyeka said.
He added that places like Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salaam and Arusha are major cities of interest for investment as global conferences or tourism destinations. He said Qatari business people could fund projects on business and government to government levels.
He said Tanzania has more than 120 tribes and therefore presents a vast cultural tourism environment.
“Visitors can visit Ngorongoro, where the first humankind life was discovered. It is one of the Unesco cultural sites because of the people who lived there three million years ago.”
Prof. Sedoyeka said Qatar Airways flight offerings also make the destinations attractive to visitors. The airline operates direct flights from Doha to Dar-es-Salaam, totalling 32 flights per week to Tanzania, including Kilimanjaro.
On the other hand, Khamis said the Gulf region and Tanzania share deep-rooted connections stretched over history. Besides, the delegation also plans to host roadshows across the region for its promotion.
Commenting on why tourists should visit Tanzania, Khamis said, “Tanzania has won several international tourism awards, which makes us a prime destination. The Serengeti (the famous park which hosts the largest annual animal migration globally of over 1.5 million blue wildebeest and 250,000 zebra, and the largest lion population in Africa) has won several awards, and 30% of our country is under conservation. And we have great beaches.
“We have a rich heritage, and recently we hosted one of the biggest archaeological events and discovered that settlements around the Old Fort in Zanzibar started around the 10th Century. Several remains were excavated showing European occupation and fishing villages around the area.”
The delegation also noted that promoting Tanzania is at the fore of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s policies. A documentary titled ‘Royal Tour’ starring the president, which promotes and markets Tanzania’s tourism is scheduled to premiere soon in Qatar. Meanwhile, the delegation noted that Qatari investors could leverage their presence and take advantage of other business opportunities like oil and gas, mining and agriculture.
