Polish country's image abroad, plead tourism stakeholders
TANZANIA has been challenged to develop a board charged with ‘polishing’ the country’s image abroad.
Speaking to The Guardian over the weekend in Dar es Salaam
Scholastica Ponera the managing director of the Pongo Safaris and Tours
said Tanzania needs a special body that will speak of the country’s to
international visitors.
“Relying on western media is costing Tanzania and Africa in general,” she said.
“In most cases, western media paint Africa with negative image and
that’s why it is high time we come up with a body that will polish the
image of the beautiful and resource-rich country and Africa at large,”
the tour operator urged.
She said misinformation by western media has left many
international visitors to think that Africa is just one country that is
plagued with a manner of social plight and diseases, “And this has
affected tourism in the past two years, many feared to come to Africa
because of Ebola which only affected a handful of countries,” she said.
“Western Media should understand that Africa has many countries
with its own operations so it’s wrong to brand Africa as a one-nation
continent,” she added.
“As tour operators, we need a bureau that will neutralize all negative stories advocated by western media,” the official said.
“If they continue to report bad issues and make Africa seem to be
one country how do you expect Tanzania to receive more tourists
arrivals?” she queried.
“While I was in the USA last year attending the international
workshop on Women in Travel- Women in Power Educational panel
discussion, I used the opportunity to create awareness that Tanzania is
an independent country and we are far from the countries affected by
Ebola,” she said.
“I told them of the peace in the Tanzania, the beauty of the
country and the natural resources including wildlife and so, many have
now come to visit Tanzania,” she attested.
Data from the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, availed to
The Guardian shows that the number of tourists arrivals in Tanzania
from UK, USA, German, Italy, France, Australia, China, India and Spain
for 2014/2015 indicate that the number of international visitors from UK
that visited Tanzania in 2014 decreased from 70,379 visitors in 2013 to
60,034 visitors in 2014.
Also, the number of international visitors from German that visited
Tanzania in 2014 decreased from 53,951 visitors in 2013 to 47,262
visitors in 2014. The number of tourists from Australia that visited
Tanzania in 2013 declined from 20,034 visitors to 19,787 visitors in
2014.
However, the number of tourist’s arrivals from France to Tanzania
increased from 33,335 visitors in 2013 to 33,585 visitors in 2014 as did
the number of international visitors from China that visited Tanzania
in 2013 increased from 17,336 visitors to 21,246 visitors in 2014.
The number of international visitors from Spain that visited in
Tanzania in 2013 decreased dramatically from 13, 144 visitors to 8,757
visitors in 2014, while the number of international visitors from USA
that visited Tanzania in 2013 go up from 100,370 visitors to 124,218,
while India increased from 27,334 visitors in 2013 to 27,327 visitors
in 2014.
Presently tourism is one of Tanzania’s fastest growing economic
sectors that accounts for 17.5 per cent of the GDP. Also last year, the
country hosted about 1.14 million holidaymakers and business travelers
who earned the economy nearly US$1.9 billion.
The sector directly employs close to half a million people and contributes to almost 25 per cent of total export earnings.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
