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Website to promote Tanzania`s tourism launched
2008-04-01 09:01:37
By Austin Beyadi
The government has said that achievements in the tourism sector have created many jobs in the country’s service industry.
Natural Resources and Tourism minister Shamsa Mwangunga made the remarks in Dar es Salaam at the weekend at the launch of a tourism website designed by the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), which is geared to selling Tanzania both abroad and within the country.
According to the minister, currently the tourism sector employed about 300,000 people in various fields.
``The number of tourists from outside has increased from 644,124 in the year 2006 to 719,031 last year, and the figure is projected to increase this year,`` she said.
Last year, the tourism sector contributed about 17 per cent to the country`s gross domestic product (GDP). Most of the revenue was collected from selling of various tourism services.
Acknowledging the importance of the tourism sector in stimulating economic development, Mwangunga underscored the need to fast-track the development of the sector despite critical challenges it faced.
The minister mentioned poor infrastructure, poor tourism services and lack of involvement from Tanzanians as some of the serious obstacles in the development of the tourism sector.
She, however, pledged government commitment to continue providing a better environment to attract more tourists as indicated in the country`s tourism policy and the CCM manifesto.
TPSF director general Dr Evans Rweikiza said that the sector had yet to attract more tourists from Africa.
He said this had resulted from various challenges facing the sector and the misconceptions that Mount Kilimanjaro was in Kenya and not in Tanzania.
The official named other challenges as preparing a site where modern hotels can be built and other places which could attract local and foreign tourists.
``Despite these challenges, the number of tourists in the country has been growing year by year, thus earning the country foreign currency,`` he said.
TPSF facilitated launching of the website after realising the potential and contribution of the tourism sector in the country’s economic growth.
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