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Rich pickings from cultural tourism
2006-02-01 07:02:20
By Mireny John
In Tanzania, a land of superb landscapes and spectacular wildlife, another attraction stands equally tall, the people.
Tanzania’s people are among the most friendly and easy to talk to on earth, with a range of mesmerizing cultures which they are ready to share with visitors to almost any part of the country.
These are cultural treasures whose tourism importance has not yet been paid its deserved strategic attention.
Probably unknown to most stakeholders in the tourism industry is the potential market for travellers whose travel and excursions are essentially culturally motivated.
This may include travel for specific purposes, for example, to attend festivals or to visit sites or monuments, or may be more broadly motivated by the desire to experience cultural diversity or to immerse themselves in the culture of a particular region.
It has become increasingly evident that there are visitors who prefer to stay longer among local people. For this kind of tourist, such a stay becomes one of the most rewarding experiences of any holiday in Tanzania.
This is all about cultural tourism and it can help rural communities enjoy the benefit of the tourism business by attracting the same tourists who initially visit their areas for other reasons.
The challenge is how to enable local communities realize that it is possible to offer tours that show their culture, their sacred places of worship, traditional dances, economic activities such as farming, pastoralism and fishing, thus obtaining an extra gainful income.
The income generated from such social undertakings could be used by local people for specific development programs such as building dispensaries, schools and cattle dips.
A number of places in Arusha and Kilimanjaro run their own cultural programmes for visitors, bringing income directly to the community and giving the people the chance to show their lifestyle to the outside world on their own terms.
Primary schools have been developed through tours of the fascinating slopes of Mount Meru, health clinics improved through a guided tour of the luscious green Usambara Mountains, and kindergartens funded by a stroll through the tropical vegetation of the Rift Valley.
Cultural tourism programmes are beneficial to everyone – the tourist get a unique, unforgettable experience, the local people generate income and improve their standard of living, and both parties gain a valuable understanding of another culture which will last long after their visitors have returned home.
Most cultural tourism programmes are located near the main thoroughfares of the principal tourist destinations, making a cultural addition to a safari easily arranged.
Guides are local people, born and raised in the area, well trained in their jobs and proficient in English. Some of Tanzania’s best-known cultural tourism destinations include the following.
l Engaruka.
Tourists who have visited Engaruka, the lost city in the shadow of the Great Rift Wall, could best tell about their fascinating story of the Maasai, the last of the world’s pastoral peoples, adapting to the 21st century in their own way, and in their own time, by mixing irrigation, farming and traditional herding.
l Meru.
In the Meru hills, visitors can meet traditional healers, learn about animal husbandry and agriculture, or buy carvings and foodstuffs from local handicraft co-operatives or women’s businesses.
Much as cultural tourism is a cash spinning business, local authorities must take it to be the responsibility of the highest order to preserve the strategic aspects of cultural attractions like traditional palaces, places of worship, caves as well as developed traditional science and technology.
Understandably, UNESCO is financing some cultural sites, but only those that for some time have attracted international attention, like Zanzibar Stone Town.
However, given the growing importance of cultural tourism over the last decade, even sites at the village level needs to be preserved to ensure sustainability.
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