April 23, 1999
Internet to promote Dar foreign trade The presence of European – standard banks in Tanzania gives local businessmen the chance of creating bigger market abroad through the Internet, despite the absence of credit card services in the country.Tanzania’s opportunity lies in the direct marketing of traditional products and services-most of them being under-pinned with tourist attractions.
In addition to that, rare professionals can capitalise on the tele-services through the web site – leave alone the ready market from Tanzanians living abroad.
Jacques Rostenne, president of PERWIT International Management Consultants, says what matters is the presence of what he called a Charter A bank: US or European Union banks guaranteed to do so by their governments.
"With this in place, any businessman can export products provided he has established connections with such banks. But, in the case of purchasing over the Internet, one might need a credit card. However, I do not think this is profitable for the country’s economy, as it is for export" he said.
He says though Tanzania has moved fast into the Internet, the issue of good Internet connectivity and reliability in delivery when it comes to making money through the web site, becomes more important.
Jeffrey Fine, an economist, who has worked extensively on a wide range of issues affecting Africa’s businesses, says business through the web generated about USD 20bn (Tsh 14 trillion) in 1998. "This figure is expected to rise to USD 300bn (Tsh 210 trillion) by the year 2002," he added.
Hopes to see Tanzania making use of world – renowned credit cards seem to have been dashed, following the collapse of Greenland Bank (T) earlier this month, as a result of what is considered to be poor Management’ at the bank’s headquarters in Kampala.
The bank had been negotiating with three owners of credit cards in the West.
In a bird to enlighten local businessmen, the Economic and Social Research Fund, supported by the Research Centre of Canada, held a workshop on Generating Business for Tanzanians’ Business in Dar es Salaam for local business people.
April 17, 1999
TANZANIA IS ATTRACTING MORE TOURISTS
TANZANIA ranks among the growing tourist destinations in Africa, competing with other traditional regional attractive sites after a successful marketing drive carried out in Europe, Japan and the US in recent years.
The managing director of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Peter Mweguo, told Business Times that the marketing drive is based on publicity through the media, and participation at international tourism fairs.
He said the just-ended International Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin, Germany, had shown a positive trend, indicating Tanzania’s position in tourism in the Africa, competing with other regional destinations including Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The fair attracted about 50 private tourist business executives and government officials from both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar. The Tanzania pavilion pulled in big crowds of visitors who wanted to get the first-hand information about tourist attractions, especially Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mwenguo said more tourist groups are expected in Tanzania during the coming tourist season, which will start in mid-June. Most of the expected tourists will be European.
"We have put more emphasis on publicity and promotional campaigns overseas, and we need to participate fully at all major international tourist fairs, congresses, special trips and promotional tours each year to sell Tanzania’s tourist attractions, "he said.
During the Berlin fair, 25 people confirmed that they would visit Tanzania - apart from other positive inquiries from the visitors to the Tanzanian pavilion, he said.
The Berlin exhibition was picked out by most Tanzanian tour operators as the best event to attract tourists from German speaking peoples apart from other world tourist market-oriented states. ITB, which is the biggest international travel trade gathering, attracted 190 nations, which have invested in tourism.
Germany is among the biggest sources of people visiting Tanzania each year whose number was more than 30,000 visitors last year.
Despite having abundant and reputable tourist attractions, Tanzania has been logging behind, compared to neighboring Kenya, which has invested heavily in tourism promotion overseas through participation in international travel fairs and newspaper advertisements.
TTB is co-orienting all international fairs taking place inside and outside Tanzania where private companies register for participation.
Tanzania tourist industry has been enjoying an annual growth of 6 per cent in the past three years as a result of marketing and publicity campaigns overseas.
South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar were the fastest growing tourist destinations in Africa last year; followed by Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya, according to the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization.
Africa became the fastest growing tourist destination in the world last year – by over 7.5 per cent-followed by the Middle East (5.3 per cent); South Asia (5.1 per cent); Europe (3 per cent); North and South America (1.4 per cent), and East Asia and the Pacific by less than 1.2 per cent, according to the organization.
About 401,331 foreigners visited Tanzania last year, and generated some US Dollars 501.72 million (Tsh 344.2 billion) in revenue. Private investments mostly in hotels, airlines, ground tour operation and travel agents – have been growing by between 12 and 14 per cent in the past three years.
MOUNT KILIMANJARO IS NOWHERE ELSE BUT IN TANZANIA
Tanzania is not yet known by the vast American traveling public, compared to Kenya, which is a much familiar destination
WHETHER the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania or not caused a heated debate during the 23rd ATA International Travel Congress and Trade Show held in Arusha recently.
Some of the American delegates argued - innocently enough, perhaps - that Mount Kilimanjaro was in Kenya, while others said that the majestic mountain, known as the Roof of Africa; was in Tanzania.
However, Tanzania’s ambassador to the United States, Mustafa Nyang’anyi who attended the Congress cleared the air by confirming that Mount Kilimanjaro like the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, are in Tanzania; and "I am welcoming all of you to visit the mountain while you are here for the congress", he said.
He said that the Tanzanian Embassy in the United States was issuing visas to the country contrary to reports that there was no embassy in the United States: hence the supposed difficulty in obtaining visas.
He said the embassy was also accepting inquiries on the Internet, which has helped ease problems that those seeking to visit Tanzania faced in obtaining visas to the country.
The debate on whether, Mount Kilimanjaro was sparked by Dr. Clifton Lee from California, who argued for almost 15 minutes that the world-famous mountain was in Kenya according to marketing information available in North America.
He urged Tanzania to intensify its marketing strategies to let the world know that Mount Kilimanjaro was in Tanzania and not otherwise.
Dr. Clifton said that many American believed that the Serengeti national Park was in Kenya - especially from advertisements saying "Come to Kenya, climb Mount Kilimanjaro and see Serengeti Park, a thing which has created an impression that these two parks and others are in Kenya", he said.
He also told the delegates that many Americans travel to Kenya in order to climb mount Kilimanjaro and see Serengeti National Park.
But, above all, he appealed for the stoppage of this false advertisement by others.
Another US delegate, Fed Fuller, said that the ATA Travel Congress and Trade Show which took place in Arusha was a unique chance for Tanzania to aggressively, market its tourism.
People in the international travel industry will be able to see Tanzania more confidently now; because they have seen the country as it is: it is somewhat difficult to try to market a country, or a resort, which one has never seen, he said.
According to many delegates, Tanzania is not yet known by the vast American traveling public, compared to Kenya, which is a much familiar destination - although that country is faced with problems of security and safety, he added.
"The best attractions that you have here are Mount Kilimanjaro, and the game parks.
And if (they are) promoted properly, Tanzania will attract more tourists than is the case at present, Fuller stressed.