Tanzania to promote beach tourism

Photo Courtesy: Tanzania Safari Supremacy

The government of Tanzania is planning to establish a beach management authority to improve beach tourism in the East African nation. Hamisi Kigwangalla, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, said, “Beach tourism is not being promoted on mainland Tanzania with its abundant potential.” He was talking in a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

He said the government will formulate strong strategies to exploit the potential in beach tourism to contribute to the national economy. “The beach management authority will manage and improve all beaches to attract more tourists and investors,” the minister added.

A report released in June 2017 says Tanzania’s tourism industry is a fastest growing sectors in the country with figures showing substantial growth in tourist arrivals. The 2016 International Visitors’ Exit Survey Report indicated that the number of tourists who visit the country is in an upward trend.

The report was jointly compiled by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the Bank of Tanzania, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Immigration Department and the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.

As per the report the number of tourists visited in Tanzania during 2016 shows an increase of 12 per cent with 1.2 million tourists, when compared to 2015 with 1.1 million. The revenue from tourism also increased from 1.9 billion to 2.1 billion in 2016.

Tourism has been Tanzania’s largest foreign exchange earner since 2012, contributing an average of 2 billion dollars annually, which is equivalent to 25 percent of all exchange earnings, as per government sources.