AfricaPress-Tanzania: KILINDI Member of Parliament (MP), Omari Kigua (CCM), has urged the government to name the dry scrub woodland in Handeni as one of the tourism attraction sites in Tanga Region.
The MP believes that the site could be potential for ecotourism—with people spending their holiday moments without damaging or disturbing natural habitats and yet contribute in revenues to the government.
Kigua told the National Assembly that tourism is one of the key sources of revenue collection in the country, and that Kilindi is home to places that if developed could be hotspots for tourism.
“We have several attractions, including a hill depicting a mother holding her child, Handeni woodland and other wetlands in Lukingo in Lwanda ward,” he said, urging the state to name the areas as official tourism attraction sites.
Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla acknowledged that the government benefits potentially in the tourism business.
In 2019 alone, the tourism sector contributed some 2.6bn US dollars in foreign earnings to the state. It accounted for 25 per cent of all foreign revenues, also employing 1.5 million people.
The sector, according to the minister, has also been an engine pushing other sectors such as agriculture, industry, finance and infrastructure.
“I want to assure the lawmaker that this is one of the duties of my ministry…to assess and identify of tourism sites,” he said.
He said his ministry will work with district authorities to identify new tourism sites and develop such areas that need the ministry’s boost.
“We have not stopped, we’re identifying such areas, and our goal is to ensure that these areas are protected, developed and sustained,” the minister said.
Dr Kigwangalla said such work has been conducted in Tanga region, targeting Muheza, Pangani, Mkinga and Tanga Town districts.
He insisted that the ministry will revisit the assessment to identify such other areas, including the Handeni woodlands to be able to develop and market the sites.
