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T by
Jerry W. Bird Leadership
is all important in the travel tourism and
hospitality industries, and Tanzania's Minister of
Tourism, Hon. Zakia Hamdami Meghji (right) has not
only guided her country's tourism sector to new
heights, at the same time she has provided wise
counsel and a steady hand to ATA, the Africa Travel
Association as its President. Thank you Madame
Minister, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
President Benjamin William Mkapa made it clear in
the following statement presented at Tanzania's
first Tourism Investment Forum. More ->->
below Situated south of
the equator - in Tanzania - at 19 340 feet, this is
Africa's highest mountain and the highest "free
standing" mountain in the world. Huge permanent
glaciers flow down from the summit, and the sheer
presence of this huge mountain dominates the entire
area. An icon in Africa, "Kili " as she is
affectionately known, is one of the sights every
African should see at least once in his or her
life. On the above date, a standard 42 km marathon
will be run from the town of Moshi, Tanzania. This
race has been set up to promote the sport in
Tanzania, and has the official backing of the
Tanzania Tourist Board, the Tanzania Amateur
Athletics Association and therefore the IAAF, and
is registered with AIMS. The route starts and ends
in Moshi, Tanzania, and runs north towards the
mountain, through rural farmland on a tarmac road,
before returning on another rural dirt road to end
back in Moshi. The total altitude gain is not
great, and the whole race is completed between 4000
and 6000 ft above sea
level.
continued TANZANIA
"ON THE FLY" SELOUS TO KIGOMA We arrived at the
air strip where the staff of the Selous Safari Camp
met us. Game viewing began immediately as we
spotted giraffe, zebra and impala on the way to the
luxury tented Selous Safari camp (formerly the
Mbuyuni Safari Camp). Selous
Safari Continued "We
have a unique tourism product mix. We must keep it
unique by sustaining it. A correct balance has to
be established between exploitation and
conservation; and between economic interests and
the social, environmental and cultural impact of
human activity in tourism. " President Benjamin
William Mkapa, The United Republic of Tanzania.
The
timely news briefs on this page attest to the fact
that things are happening on a variety of fronts,
from the Bagamoyo World Heritage Site, to Selous,
Serengeti, Exotic Zanzibar and more places than we
can name. Check
the index on the left hand column which lists some
of the topics we cover on this web site and in our
magazine. More topics are on the way! We hope you
will be an extra set of eyes and ears for our
magazine and website as we continue to seek, pursue
and record the Tanzania Story for readers and
viewers around the world. Jerry W. Bird, Editor
Tourism
Investment Forum.
Post
Event Report now available on this highly
successful Investment Forum. An update from the
information provided in the earlier press release
(below) written in advance of the October 2002
event. Continued Tanzania
Tourism News Briefs. Thomson
Safaris Introduces Safari Offering Unique
Combination of Northern & Southern
Circuits.
Your clients
begin their Thomson safari by venturing deep into
the heart of the Serengeti Savannah. Here they will
spend three nights in a private Classic Camp, which
allows them to explore far off the beaten path.
Continuing to Ngorongoro Crater, they will see an
unparalleled concentration of animals, before
heading south into the remote wilds of Ruaha
National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. Walk
along sand rivers past prehistoric looking baobab
trees. Search for the elusive wild dog and greater
kudu antelope. Drive through massive herds of
buffalo. View some of the largest crocodiles in the
world from a boat on the mighty Rufiji River. Look
out from your private verandah and watch an
elephant come down to drink. If they have already
been to East Africa, this is the perfect
opportunity to return. Land & Air Package
$7,390 per person; Land Only $5,690
(commissionable)
http://www.thomsonsafaris.com. Dar
es Salaam Wins Heart of North American
Author New
Sand Rivers Selous and Fundu Lagoon Packages and
Five &endash;Day Walking Safaris SELOUS: A popular
new tour begins at Dar es Salaam airport, with a
charter flight by Cessna 206 to Selous, where
visitors will enjoy five nights at Sand Rivers
Selous, with full board and all activities. A night
of fly-in camping is optional if pre booked. On Day
6 of the tour, a charter flight by Cessna takes
visitors from Selous to Zanzibar, with air
connections to Pemba. The next 5 nights at Fundu
Lagoon, include full board, transfers and
snorkeling. On the final day, visitors fly from
Pemba to Dar es Salaam International airport for
departure. Package price in US dollars is $2750
net, and the offer extends from Nov. 1, 2002 to
April 2003; June 15-June 30, 2003 and excludes
December 15, 2003- January 5, 2003. Five day
Walking Safaris are also available, and they have
proven to be very popular. Contact:
sand-rivers@intafrica.com. Enhanced
Flight Schedule and New Twin Otter Aircraft for
Tanzania's Regional Air
Services.
Regional Air
Services, operating from Arusha Airport and serving
the Northern Route, has added a 16 seat Twin Otter
to its fleet. Locations include Arusha, Manyara,
Seronera. Grumeti and Klein's Camp. There will be a
surcharge for afternoon and low season flights to
and from Grumeti. Despite rising costs the airline
is maintaining most established prices. The
airline's new schedule and rates are valid up to
14th December 2003. Information is available from
Mrs. Caroline Blumer, Marketing and Administration
Manager, Regional Air Services, e-mail
sales@regional.co.tz Olivers
Camp Offers New Options In Walking
Safaris.
Olivers Camp
has earned a proud reputation for its intimate
knowledge of Tanzania's fascinating and varied
wildlife. Now there's a new opportunity for guests
&endash; to view Africa's fauna at close range,
while walking one's way to peak health and enjoying
an unequaled, unforgettable experience. Among the
many programs at Olivers Camp, the Walking Safari
has become very much in demand. One example is a 3
night fly-in camping expedition in the Tarangire
Wilderness, starting in the extreme south of the
park and heading due north along the river for 3
days. It covers quite different terrain and passes
through southern comiphora stands (gerenuk and
vulturine guinea fowl country) to seasonal flood
plains to dense riverine and onto the very typical
Tarangire sausage tree and acacia stands near Kuro.
Walks are led by one of Olivers experienced guides.
http://www.oliverscamp.com Bagamoyo,
Tanzania's Former Slave Route Center Proposed World
Heritage Site.
Because of its
strategic location as a staging point during the
ivory and slave-trading era, Bagamoyo, 45 miles
north of Dar es Salaam, has been proposed as a
World Heritage site. If approved, Bagamoyo would
join six other UNESCO sites in the country.
Tanzania Tourism Board Managing Director, Peter
Mwenguo said, "Given the growing interest in
Cultural Heritage Tourism, especially in the
American market, the timing of the focus on the
development and preservation of Bagamoyo as a World
Heritage Site is excellent." He stated that this
would enable Tanzania to develop its African
Diaspora Heritage Trail product, a project
announced by Bermuda's President Jennifer Smith at
the ATA 27th Congress. Few travelers realize that
Tanzania was once part of German East Africa, and
Bagamoyo was its capital. Bobby
Tours and Safaris Offers Safaris for All
Reasons.
Since 1976,
Bobby Tours and Safaris has provided tour packages
and services to all national parks, lodge safaris,
beach holidays and camping safaris. The company
specializes in Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru
mountain climbing expeditions, with qualified
porters and guides. Bobby Tours offers your clients
a variety of options from 3 day Safaris to luxury
tented Camping Safaris and excursions. Locations in
Tanzania include Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Manyara
National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and much more
including Southern Tanzania. Contact Bobby Tours
and Safaris: E-mail bobbytours@bobbytours.com;
http://www.bobbytours.com For more
information on Tanzania visit www.tanzania-web.com
or contact the Bradford Group in New York at (212)
447-0027. Email: Tanzania@bradfordmarketing.org
he
Tanzania Story
The word is out and the excitement is building
since we received the big news that Tanzania-
Zanzibar will host the ATA 8th Ecotourism Symposium
December 2 to 76, 2003 and that the next ATA-IPPT
event is in Dar es Salaam. As one of Africa's major
travel industry participants, Tanzania Tourism has
made huge strides in recent years. At Africa Travel
Magazine we like to think that hosting the Africa
Travel Association's International Marketing
Congress in Arusha was a catalyst that helped spur
the phenomenal growth of this country's tourism
sector. Being there and capturing the sprit during
and following that landmark event , I certainly
felt that we were on the verge of a period of an
outstanding breakthrough.
Flashback
Tanzania "Authentic Africa" and Authentic
Adventures First Official Kilimanjaro
Marathon
by Karen
Hoffman. 24 hours in the Selous (pronounced Se-loo)
is certainly not long enough for a wildlife safari
in the world's second largest protected area and
Africa's largest game reserve! But thanks to
Coastal Travel Services, a charter flight took our
press group of ten journalists from Dar es Salaam
for the one hour scenic flight over this 21,000
square mile park. Declared a World Heritage Site in
1982 and more than half the size of the state of
Ohio, the Selous is three and three quarters times
as large as the more famous Serengeti in Northern
Tanzania.
Coastal Airlines
flies
daily to Mafia,
plus launches new service to Rubondo Island
National Park, Lake Victoria, Home of Great Game
Viewing and World Class
Fishing.
Coastal
Airlines, already providing service to all coastal
destinations north of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar on
a daily basis, launched daily service to Mafia
Island. Southern Tanzania was originally served by
Eagle (Airline), which suspended service recently.
This gap in the market prompted Coastal Airlines to
organize direct service to Mafia Island, and from
there to Kilwa and Songo Songo. Passengers can
board an aircraft in Arusha and fly to Mafia
without waiting at any transit stations. For
details contact Coastal Travels Ltd., Tel. 255 22
2117 959 or 960, Fax 255 22 2118 647, Toll free 255
741 800 285. E-mail: safari@coastal.cc, Web:
http://www.coastal.cc
according to
author Henry Pelham Burn, his travel agent was
quite concerned that, during a scheduled trip to
Tanzania, he would be "stuck" in Dar es Salaam for
two whole days. After some deliberation, Burn
resigned himself to visiting Dar, a city depicted
by some as a place to go through rather than enjoy
as a destination in it self. This misconception is
prevalent among the uninformed, or those who
haven't taken the time to explore this historic
capital and seaport city with its ideal climate,
classic buildings, modern airport and ferry service
to Zanzibar and other exotic islands. Commenting in
Africa Travel Magazine, Pelham said, "A couple of
days in Dar proved not long enough." Among Mr.
Burn's recommended attractions are KARIOKOO MARKET,
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, NYERERE CULTURAL CENTER,
MWENGE VILLAGE, VILLAGE MUSEUM, COCO BEACH,
KIGAMBONI. A newly minted Dar enthusiast, the
American author provides many reasons why the sites
mentioned are sure please most visitors to Dar es
Salaam. Details: http://www.
africa-ata.org/tz_dar_es_salaam.htm
