AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has unveiled strategies to market the country’s tourism using online platforms as Covid-19 cases continue to drop considerably.
A steady slowdown in coronavirus cases has prompted the government to open Tanzania’s airspace for commercial, diplomatic, aid, emergency and special mission flights with effect from Monday.
The decision breathed a new lease of life into the tourism sector, one of the economic sectors heavily impacted by Coronavirus outbreak as countries across the globe resorted to draconian restrictions, including lockdowns.
The Chairman of Tanzania Tourist Board of Directors, Judge Thomas Mihayo (retired) said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the board has embraced the decision and started implementing special strategies to market the country’s tourism electronically.
He said that TTB in collaboration with the private sector has prepared various films to market various tourism sites in the country and ensure its continuity amid Covid-19 pandemic.
Judge Mihayo commended the Great Migration Camp for introducing a live show programme dubbed ‘Serengeti Live Show’ which is being aired in all TTB social networks and Serengeti Live YouTube Channel.
“I call upon tourism stakeholders to volunteer in marketing these films which have helped a lot in promoting Tanzania tourism worldwide… our local television can also access the films free of charge and you can use them in your programmes as part of educating the public,” Justice Mihayo said.
He, however, said that in a meeting which involved tourism stakeholders, TTB and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, participants endorsed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to protect both the public and visitors from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have directed TTB executives to ensure that the SOP is interpreted in various languages with special focus on Tanzania’s tourism markets worldwide,” he said.
TTB Managing Director, Ms Devota Mdachi said that her board is currently holding talks with various Tanzania’s embassies abroad to ensure that tourists who had earlier planned to visit Tanzania to proceed with their plans.
“We are currently holding talks with our embassies abroad especially in Israel, China, Czech Republic and Malaysia where we had agents who had planned to bring a large number of tourists to Tanzania to proceed with their plans,” she said.
Ms Mdachi said that tourism stakeholders have already completed various guidelines aimed at protecting tourists and Tanzanians against the novel virus adding that the first tourists flight was expected in the country at the end of this month.
“We are holding talks with our embassies abroad to encourage tourists who had earlier planned to visit Tanzania early this year to resume their plans of visiting various tourism attractions ,” she said.
Announcing government decision to reopen its airspace for commercial, diplomatic, aid, emergency and special mission flights early this week, Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, Eng Isaack Kamwelwe said the opening of the air space also opens up other sectors especially the tourism sector, which is crucial for the country’s economic growth.
Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla said the opening of the air space also means special invitation to tourists from across the World.
“Effective from today, all tourists are cleared to enter the country, they are most welcome,” said Dr Kigwangalla.
He said all precaution measures are well communicated to the hospitality industry operators so that both tourists and service providers enjoy the natural beauty that the country is endowed with.
