AfricaPress-Tanzania: The outbreak of the deadly Covid- 19 pandemic has caused turnaround on the tourism and aviation industry’s contribution to the economic growth.
The Chairman of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB Justice Thomas Mihayo said in Dar es Salaam that, “This is not for Tanzania alone but for the entire world, where the aviation sector has been strongly devastated by measures imposed most countries to suspend passengers flights in order to contain the spread of coronavirus,” He added, “The tourism sector also follows the suit, where both sectors which were booming steadily will now be contributing less to the economic growth,”
According to analysts, the economic growth will now be stimulated by businesses conducted online using modern information and communication technologies like online sales and advertising, electronic money transactions, online learning and the likes.
Other sectors that contribute to economic growth in this time of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, highlighted by Justice Mihayo, include medical services coupled with medicine and medical equipment businesses.
The food sector which is fed by agriculture was also part of the sectors to be eyed for, as Mr Mihayo clarified it, saying: “Different types of food processing and preservation as well as fruits are also projected to grow and contribute to the economy,” Considering that Tanzania was endowed with a number of tourism attractions, Justice Mihayo said that TTB was doing everything possible to ensure that such a sector which contributes up to 17 per cent in the country’s GDP would still take off after the pandemic spread is contained.
As part of coping mechanism, already some airline operators are turning to cargo transportation of the necessary needs to countries locked down to combat the spread.
Already regional air transporters like Ethiopia Airlines, Kenya Airways and of recent, Air Tanzania Company limited are tendering transportation of goods, mostly food items to European and Asian countries.
