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Cash-strapped Tanzania goes to China to lure holidaymakers
2005-04-27 20:42:13
By Correspondent Amant C. Macha of TTB
Tanzania is struggling to woo Chinese tourists to visit the country's abundant attractions.
Already a team of 16 tourism executives and marketing officials are in the world's populous nation participating in an exhibition, the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Mart (BITTM) in efforts to sell the country tourist attractions and services to the fast-growing Chinese market.
The five-day long BITTM exhibition which raised its curtain last week has attracted hundreds of tourism and travel trade companies from almost all countries in the world including the leading franchise companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the Pacific states.
BITTM intends to provide an important link between the rapid growing Chinese travel and tourism industry and the needs of the global tourist industry, including third world countries like Tanzania and other states which are taking tourism among their economic ventures.
The exhibition is a platform where global and local Chinese industry professionals meet, discuss and contract forthcoming outbound travelers at an international level.
Tanzanian tourism executives are from the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Wildlife Division, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), Takims Holidays Tours and Safaris, ML Tours and Safaris, Antelope Safaris and Tours, Zara Tanzania Adventure, Cordial Tours and Travel Services, Zenith Tours, Kilimanjaro Crown Bird Tours and Peacock Hotel.
China is the world's largest single consumer market and it is currently projected that the China outbound market will grow to 100 million tourists by year 2020, making BITTM a unique opportunity for the rest of the world to claim a share of this expanding travel market.
Chinese expenditure on travel is also growing by 27% annually.
Tanzania has been honoured among the world selected countries to participate the BITTM.
This follows the signing of an Agreement on Destination Status (ADS) last year in Beijing between China and Tanzania.
The Agreement provides green-light between the selected tour operators of China and Tanzania to conduct tourism business.
China International Travel Service (CITS), the largest tour operator in China, has granted its full support to the BITTM of which Tanzania has benefited to a certain extent.
CITS is the first among 100 top travel companies in China and the most outstanding enterprise, with annual turnover of over US dollars 500 million (US dollars 500m), and in the year 2002 the company has served a total of 2.5 million tourists.
'Since its establishment in 1954, CITS has been at the forefront of China’s tourism development', said Peter de Jong, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
'CITS has played a leading role in promoting the benefits of travel and tourism to the governments and people of the world nations', he said.
The organizers of the event, the London based Rising Star Exhibitions and the Beijing Topex Exhibition and Convention Company are thrilled by the support the exhibition has generated in China.
Alongside CITS, other tourism organizations including China Chamber of Tourism, the Federation of Industry and Commerce and China Travel News have all expressed their continued support for BITTM which is solely an outbound tourism fair.
The China Chamber of Tourism (CoT) is a nationwide organization initiated and formed by the private tourist sector of China.
Its members represent one of the strongest networks of airlines, hotel chains and large travel agencies from across the country.
'The tourism professionals in China understand the importance of developing the full spectrum of travel and tourism products.
Outbound market in China can no longer be ignored and deserves recognition and therefore its business to business contacts are expected to bear results', said Stanislava Blagoera-Duschell, the Chief Executive Officer of Rising Star Exhibitions.
During the BITTM fair, team Tanzania has been operating from its special designed pavilion decorated with various photographs and other tourist promotional materials to ensure that Tanzania tourism creates an impact on the Chinese travel trade, by showcasing the unique attractions found in the country (Tanzania).
The other target has been 'business to business' contacts for the Chinese outbound tourists interested to visit Tanzania.
Tanzania Tourist Board has also received support from KLM, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines in staging its pavilion in Beijing.
The three airlines provide connections between China and Tanzania.
The first delegation from Tanzania was in China late last year to explore the Chinese tourist market opportunities.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Mr. Solomon Odunga led the delegation and visited Nanjing and Shanghai cities during the World Tourism Marketing Summit.
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