DAR ES SALAAM, October 22 (Xinhua) – Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Saturday officially opened the sixth edition of the Swahili International Tourism Expo and promised the government’s continued improvement of the country’s tourism service infrastructure.
Additionally, Mpango said the government has been working since 2020 to align infrastructure and provide incentives to attract investment in tourism.
“We are also vigorously promoting other unpopular tourist attractions especially in our country’s Southern Corridor, including Mikumi, Ruaha, Julius Nyerere and Udzungwa National Parks, which we believe also have great potential to take this industry to new heights,” he said in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania.
He said the results recorded in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period and the recent recovery are a clear testament to the joint efforts made by the government and the private sector to stimulate the development of the tourism sector.
“The government recognizes the importance of the private sector as an engine and engine of the tourism sector and over the years we have adopted a series of legal and tax reforms to support the growth of the sector,” said Mpango, adding that there is a plethora tourism investment opportunities including the construction of hotels, lodges, vacation homes, the development of amusement parks, sea and lake cruises, as well as the expansion of tour operators and agencies.
Pindi Chana, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the Swahili International Tourism Expo was established in 2014 to promote Tanzania’s tourist attractions and investment opportunities. It is part of the implementation of a tourism marketing strategy to attract tourists to visit the Tanzania destination and increase the contribution of tourism to the country’s economy.
The fair, which began on Friday and will end on Sunday, is held after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. This year’s Expo features business exhibits, investment forums and seminars, quick networking sessions, cultural performances, and familiarization trips to unique tourist attractions across Tanzania. More than 200 domestic and foreign exhibitors participate, over 100 international buyers from inside and outside Africa and more than 5,000 professional visitors.
Chana said the Expo has attracted tourism sector stakeholders from countries including China, Indonesia, India, the UK, Oman, Mozambique, Malawi, Algeria and Zimbabwe.
