Tanzanian Tourism Minister, Prof. Jumanne Maghembe, has directed the Tanzania Tourist Board to intensify tourism promotions in overseas markets for the country to register three million international arrivals by 2018. Maghembe issued the directive in Dar es Salaam during the official inauguration of the Tanzania Tourist Board of directors last week.

In 2014, Tanzania received roughly 1,1 million international tourists and had set a target of two million visitors by 2020. But Maghembe said the country had the potential to woo three million tourists by 2018 as it boasted attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

The Minister urged TTB officials to hold talks with airlines such as Air Tanzania for them to introduce more flights to local tourist destinations. He also wants the airlines to offer low fares to encourage more people to travel for holidays.

“Hotels, too, should reduce their accommodation rates to attract many guests, particularly during the low tourist season,” the Minister said, adding that when airlines and hotels offered affordable rates, Tanzania would receive larger numbers of holidaymakers throughout the year.

However, TTB Chairman, Thomas Mihayo, urged the government to rescue the marketing agency from a huge debt. While he didn’t indicate the extent of TTB’s debt, he said the agency also received inadequate funds for marketing.

Mihayo said when TTB got adequate funding it would roll out aggressive marketing campaigns in overseas markets for Tanzania to woo more international tourists. He pledged that his Board would work hard to ensure that they met the Government’s expectations and put TTB at a higher level.

Tanzanian tour operators see the government’s figure of three million international tourist arrivals by 2018 as a pipedream in light of destination marketing spend, which is at less than $4 million a year, while international tourist arrivals are expected to decline following Tanzania’s introduction of the 18% Value Added Tax on tourism services.

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