New Minister for Tourism in Tanzania TANZANIA (eTN) - In a cabinet reshuffle announced Friday evening, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has appointed Mr. Khamis Kagasheki the new Tourism Minister, taking over the portfolio from Mr. Ezekiel Maige.  Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has promoted Mr. Kagasheki from Junior Minister for Homeland Affairs to a full Minister for Tourism and  Natural Resources. Under his new ministerial portfolio, Mr. Kagasheki will be responsible for daily administration of Tanzanian's natural resources made up of wildlife and forests, tourism and travel trade.   Mr. Maige was appointed a full Minister for Tourism in November 2010 after his promotion from Junior Minister in the same ministry, the  portfolio he held since 2005 prior to his appointment to the cabinet.   Mr. Kagasheki will oversee challenges in Tanzania’s fast-growing tourist industry at the time that tourism marketing campaigns to attract more tourists are taking place across the world and there is a need for a big budget to undertake tourism development projects in Tanzania.   He will be responsible for overseeing daily activities affecting his ministry's departments, including wildlife and forest resources, which  members of parliament.   His ministry is also responsible for controlling key tourist sites, including the 15 tourist wildlife parks, Ngorongoro Conservation Area where the famous Ngorongoro Crater is located, and Selous Game Reserve – the biggest and most natural wildlife reserve in Africa. Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is focused on wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, with approximately 28 percent of  the land protected by the government. It boasts 15 national parks and 31 game reserves, all falling under the administration of the Ministry  of Natural Resources and Tourism.

NEW CHAIRMAN AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPOINTED  FOR TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD (April 23, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) – The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete announced the appointment of Ambassador Charles A. Sanga as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB). The Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Hon. Ezekiel Maige (MP) subsequently appointed new members of the Board of Directors to serve alongside the new Chairman: Professor Isaya Jairo from the Institute of Finance Management and renowned Financial Management specialist; Teddy Mapunda, a seasoned Marketer; Hon. Abdulkarim Shah, Member of Parliament for Mafia Island; Hon. Kaika Ole Telele, Member of Parliament for the Ngorongoro Constituency; as well as Mr. Samuel Diah, a private sector official representative to the Board and a tour operator. At the inaugural of the new TTB Board, Hon. Ezekiel Maige, Minister of Natural Resources & Tourism, told the new board members “that there is a need to look for new strategies of promoting the numerous attractions in the country if the target to reach the one million mark by 2013 from the current 800,000 is to be met.”   Hon. Maige continued, “"In the new strategy of promoting ourselves, I would like to advise that the issue of branding the country be well supervised and completed this year." Hon. Maige asked the new Board of Directors of TTB to develop a strategy to diversify the tourism product and develop areas that have been off the beaten track, including cultural and historical sites as well as the Indian Ocean coast.  Likewise, the Minister emphasized the need to boost the tourism marketing budget in order to reach more market sources and attract more tourists from leading markets.   The new TTB Chairman, Ambassador Charles A. Sanga, said that the directives of the Minister will act as a compass to achieving their goals. He stated that, “The newly appointed Board of Directors will implement during the coming three years, a number of projects aimed at raising tourist arrivals and the Tanzania Tourist Board profile. Among the programs are the modernization of tourist services, expansion of tourist attractions, new marketing strategies, investment in tourist sector, and construction of conference centers and development of domestic tourism.”   Dr. Aloyce Nzuki, Managing Director, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) welcomed the formation of the new TTB Board and noted “We are confident that under the direction of the new Chairman and Board of Directors, TTB can now move forward in strengthening its global tourism strategy as well as in securing the financial resources to ensure Tanzania’s competitive edge in the country’s major source markets worldwide.  While at the same time, the TTB Board of Directors will help strategize plans to reach out to new markets as well as develop programs to attract more domestic and intra-Africa tourism.”    From Left to Right Hon. Kaika Telele (Member of the Board); Mr. Ibrahim Mussa (Director of Tourism); Mr. Samuel Diah (Member of the Board); Ambassador Charles Sanga (Chairman of the Board); Hon. Abdulkarim Shah (Member of the Board); Ms.Maiuma Tarish  (Permanent Secretary Ministry of Natural Resources & Tourism); Ms. Teddy Mapunda (Member of the Board;) Hon. Ezekiel Maige ( Minister Natural Resources & Tourism); Prof. Isaya Jairo (Member  of the Board); Ms. Nuru Millawo (Deputy Permanent Secretary), and  Dr. Aloyce Nzuki (Managing Director- TTB)   About Tanzania Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is focused on wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, with approximately 28% of the land protected by the Government, the largest percentage of any country in the world. It boasts 15 National Parks and 31 game reserves, 50 Game Controlled Areas, one special Conservation Area (the Ngorongoro) and three Marine Parks. It is home to the tallest mountain in Africa, the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro; The Serengeti, home to the "Great Animal Migration" that was named the New 7th Wonder of the World by USA Today and ABC TV's Good Morning America; the world acclaimed Ngorongoro Crater, often referred to as the "Eden of Africa" and the “8th Wonder of the World”; Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind:  the Selous, the world’s largest game reserve; Ruaha, now the second largest National Park in Africa; the spice islands of Zanzibar; and seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Most important for visitors, the Tanzanian people, with a rich history and diverse blend of cultures, are warm and friendly. On December 9, 2011, Tanzania, an oasis of peace and stability with a democratically elected and stable government, celebrated its 50th Anniversary of Independence. For more information on Tanzania, visit www.tanzaniatourism.go.tz.   Editorial contact: Karen Hoffman/Chanel LeMond The Bradford Group (212) 447-0027 Tanzania@bradfordglobalmarketing.com

A Canadian tourist has called upon Tanzanians to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to be able to test, enjoy and appreciate the beauty of Africa’s highest peak bestowed to them by God, the Al Mighty. The tourist, Raymond Walker (79), made the call to that end recently after climbing the mountain to its top most Uhuru summit, to become the first elderly to set a foot on the mountain’s highest peak. Walker said that he felt proud to become the first climber of his age to reach one of the reckoned international treasures. He added, “I wanted to see how it looks like on the top”. He thanked local tour operators for supporting him and encouraging him from the start to the end of the long climb. “I feel so proud to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro at this age [79]…I advise Tanzanians to climb the mountain while still young,” he said. A local tour coordinator, whose firm facilitated Walker to climb the mountain, Faheem Aloo, said his company, Tusker Trail, provided guides for accompanying tourists by providing them with all essential needs, including medication services. According to him, Walker is the first person to reach the top of the mountain at such an old age. Source The Guardian.

TANZANIA GEARED TO INTRODUCE INSECT TOURISM - Devotha Mdachi, Director of Marketing TTB Tanzania will soon embark on an eco-tourism promotional campaign focusing on floristic, forest species and insects as a way of attracting more tourists.   Devotha Mdachi, Director of marketing at the Tanzania Tourist Board told The Guardian yesterday government’s focus on this is to concentrate in capturing more tourists interested in the fields. “Our focus on this is to concentrated our efforts in trying to capture tourists’ interests by diversifying our tourism products from the current traditional focus on wildlife to other products (such as cultural, special interests, conference and sports tourism) and also by promoting new tourist attraction areas (such as those in the southern, western and coastal circuits),” she said. TTB, in collaboration with the ministry of natural Resources and Tourism, embarked on this campaign after observing that majority of tourists who come to Tanzania are interested in seeing and experiencing the traditional tourist products wildlife, mountain climbing and beach bathing, Tanzania has also more to offer for the ‘special interest enthusiast’. She said the special interest tourism attractions include insect hunting, flower collecting and forest safaris. She said these activities are prevalent Kitulo Plateau National Park, Amani Nature Forest Nature Reserve, Udzungwa National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Mkomazi National Park, as well as Uluguru Mountains forests. Besides, the board has been promoting special interests tourism such as archaeology, bird watching, butterfly and insect catching, dolphin tracking, flower collecting, forest trekking, and whale and dolphin watching. Presently Tanzania boats a large variety of butterfly species, including some which are extremely rare such as the urania ripheus or sunset moth and lepidopterists. On forests area, Tanzania’s topography allows it to have an eco system which includes a large variety of flowers and trees some of which are only found in Tanzania, she said, noting that some of the best forests include those in the Udzungwa National park. Udzungwa National park’s major attraction is its biodiversity and unique rich forests where many rare plants which are not found nowhere else in the world. Elaborating on Mkomazi National Park, she said this fairly new park, is located below the slopes of Usambara Mountains and the Eastern Arc mountain ranges and boasts a rich biodiversity in form of plants and insects excellent for hiking and climbing along its escarpments. She also noted that tourist eager to visit Amani Forest Nature Reserve, the area has a wonderful collection of birds, butterflies and plants some of which are only found in the area established in 1997 to protect the flora and fauna of the east Usambara Mountains She said that kitulo is the first park in tropical Africa recognized largely for its floristic significance. Known as the ‘God’s Garden” or ‘Serengeti of Flowers’, Kitulo has over 350 species of plants, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Some of the variety of flowers include: balsams, bellflowers’ honey-peas, irises, lilies and orchids. Source The Guardian

Tanzania ranked highly as tourist destination Dar es Salaam.  A world renowned newspaper has selected Tanzania among 45 places for tourists to visit in 2012, saying: “Tanzania is coming into its own as an upscale safari destination”. The New York Times said that Tanzania emerged number seven out of the 45 selected places to go in 2012. Reacting to the revelation, the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) managing director, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, said yesterday that the selection of Tanzania among the 45 favourable destinations was a positive thing.  “We have strategies in place aimed at making Tanzania among the most favourable places to visit,” said Dr Nzuki, promising to give more details today. In its article, The New York Times quoted East African travel specialists, including Hippo Creek Safaris and Abercrombie & Kent, as saying that for the last several years,  the number of tourists going to Tanzania has been edging up. It said not that Tanzania is coasting along solely on Kenya’s troubles; it always had Mount Kilimanjaro, after all.  “And now other attractions are being discovered, too — places like Gibb’s Farm, a small lodge from which guests can hike to the Ngorongoro Crater area, a prime destination for big game viewing,” said the paper. In addition, said The New York Times, the opening of exclusive safari reserves like the Singita Grumeti along the Serengeti plains and the upscale camps managed by Nomad Tanzania and Chem Chem are evidence that the country’s tourist infrastructure is becoming more sophisticated, perhaps even catching up to Kenya’s.   Source: The Citizen Over the past 20 years, Tanzania has emerged to be one of Africa’s most dynamic and popular travel destinations. Its lands encompass a staggering natural variety complemented by the warm hospitality of the people. Tanzania has become well known for its political stability within the region, and this has signifi cantly helped to promote the ever growing tourism industry. Tanzania continues to record impressive growth in tourism, in terms of number of visitors, tourism investments and contribution to the national GDP. In addition to the famous wildlife safaris, mountain climbing, beach and sea sports, emphasis is also being placed on developing and promoting other unique and niche products – such as cultural, sustainable, and eco-tourism. Undoubtedly, these initiatives will see benefi ts for the present and future generations, as well as effectively providing high-class tourism products and services. On behalf of the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania, we welcome everyone to enjoy the country’s rich and plentiful natural attractions. Stretching from the Indian Ocean coastline studded with picture perfect beaches, to the amazing wonder of millions of wildebeest migrating across the plains of the Serengeti – Tanzania has something for everyone.   Tanzania's foreign missions set for aggressive tourism promotion BY APOLINARI TAIRO, ETN TANZANIA | FEB 22, 2012 TANZANIA (eTN) - Through its newly-introduced economic diplomacy policy, Tanzania foreign missions in tourist market sources of Africa, Europe, America, and Asia had set up strategies that would help tourists looking to visit Tanzania, get quick and reliable information about this country and its tourist attractions. Under such an arrangement, envoys appointed to represent Tanzania to other nations have been assigned a “Know your Country” educational tour that took them to Tanzania's key tourist wildlife parks and other such sites. With logistical support from the Tanzania National Parks, six newly-appointed envoys made an educational tour to key wildlife parks in Tanzania's northern and southern circuits in a familiarization tour aimed at enlightening them with Tanzania's most tourist-attractive sites. The just ended, week-long tour had attracted the envoys, who are going to take their duties of tour in Belgium, Italy, China, Egypt, Uganda and Kenya. New economic diplomacy policy requires Tanzania's ambassadors to run marketing of tourism in Europe, North America, Far East and other key tourist sources through foreign missions in respective nations. Tanzania National Parks, whose wildlife parks are under its management, had agreed to supply information aid to all missions where tourists are looking for visa and other information, as well as foreign and potential investors looking to invest in Tanzania's tourist sector. Tourism is one of Tanzania’s fastest-growing economic sectors, with 782,669 arrivals worldwide in 2010, representing a 9 percent increase over 2009. In the United States, Tanzania’s number-one source of tourism, tour operators reported an increase in bookings last year with several bookings slated up to next year. The result of this growth is an increased demand for expanding hotel capacity, as well as flights, especially to Kilimanjaro International Airport, which is the gateway to the famous icons in the north, made up of Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Crater.

EXOTIC ISLAND OF ZANZIBAR NAMED ONE OF “41 Places to Go in 2011” BY NEW YORK TIMES     Tanzania’s “Spice Islands” in the Indian Ocean

Zanzibar, also known as “the spice islands” has long conjured up a romantic image that has been a lure for American travelers. Located along the Indian Ocean, off the coast of mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar was named one of “41 Places to Go in 2011” by the New York Times in its Sunday Travel Section, January 9, 2011 with a circulation of more than 1 million. Zanzibar, which is an autonomous state within The United Republic of Tanzania, consists of Unguja (also known as Zanzibar Island), Pemba and some 50 smaller surrounding islands and islets.  Stone Town, the historic port city of Zanzibar Island, is a World Heritage Site and a major cultural attraction.  Already popular for its beaches, water sports, scuba diving (using environmentally-friendly equipment), underwater photography, reef watching, dolphin watching and snorkeling, Zanzibar is now focusing on promoting its many year-round- festivals showcasing the diverse cultures and history of Tanzania’s Kiswahili coastal islands. A Cultural Crossroads  Zanzibar is the birthplace of Swahili (an Arabic word for “of the coast”); a lingua franca forged from global dialects, upon which legends were carried, trade routes opened and a Sultan’s empire prospered. The colorful mosaic of cultures and traditions found in Zanzibar is the result of its history as a crossroads of civilizations, absorbing peoples from as far as The Orient and Iberia, Assyria and India. Zanzibar, like Bagamoyo and Kilwa on the mainland, has many historical sites that are part of the Slave Route and have become an integral part of the Africa Diaspora Heritage Trail. World Famous Film and Music Festivals The most well known festival is the Zanzibar International Film Festival, also known as The ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries.  East Africa’s largest cultural event, the film festival takes place in Zanzibar around the magnificent, historical venues along the waterfront of Stone Town. Many screenings take place outdoors in an historic amphitheater. The festival celebrates the unique cultural heritage of Africa and the Dhow countries of the Indian Ocean region and their global Diaspora. The 2011 Zanzibar International Festival will take place July 2-10th, 2011. For more information, visit www.ziff.or.tz The Sauti za Busara music festival, now in its eighth year will take place in Zanzibar on   February 9 -13th, 2011. Sauti za Busara is Swahili for "Sounds of Wisdom". The festival includes 40 musical groups, hailing from Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, West Africa and Europe. For more information, visit www.busaramusic.org. ABOUT TANZANIA Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is focused on wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, with approximately 28 % of the land protected by the Government. It boasts 15 National Parks and 31 game reserves. It is the home of the tallest mountain in Africa, the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro; The Serengeti, named in October, 2006, the New 7th Wonder of the World by USA Today and Good Morning America; the world acclaimed Ngorongoro Crater, often called the 8th Wonder of the World; Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind:  the Selous, the world’s largest game reserve; Ruaha, now the second largest National Park in Africa; the spice islands of Zanzibar; and seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Most important for visitors, the Tanzanian people are warm and friendly, speak English, which together with Kiswahili, are the two official languages; and the country is an oasis of peace and stability with a democratically elected and stable government. Photos Courtesy of The Tanzania Tourist Board: www.tanzaniatouristboard.com For more information about Tanzania, visit www.tanzaniatouristboard.com and www.Zanzibartourism.net Media Contact: Karen Hoffman/Chanel LeMond The Bradford Group (212) 447-0027 info@bradfordglobalmarketing.com

Photos Courtesy of The Tanzania Tourist Board: www.tanzaniatouristboard.com

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