WITH 60 percent of global travel and tourism decisions influenced by travel agents, hosting 120 of the world’s most influential agents is bound to skyrocket Tanzania’s northern circuit in its profile and visibility, a tour organiser has stated.

Alice Manupa, the African Queen Adventures CEO, made this remark yesterday in relation to a landmark initiative aimed at bolstering Tanzania’s tourism industry, where 120 global travel agents have embarked on an exclusive familiarization tour to experience the natural beauty first hand. 

The brainchild behind this ambitious project, she expressed the feeling that the tour aims will offer influential agents’ excellent experience of what the zone offers.

 “This is a milestone for the Tanzania tourism industry,” she stated, affirming that the tour will traverse the breadth of the northern tourism circuit, to view iconic attractions like the Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, not to speak of the Serengeti.

“This immersive experience promises to create unforgettable memories for the travel agents and is expected to lead to a surge in Tanzania’s tourist influx,” she elaborated, while Murtaza Kalender, a prominent Turkey-based travel agent and vice-president of the Istanbul Tourism Association (ISTA), added weight to these expectations. 

“Tanzania has all the ingredients necessary to attract 15m tourists in the next decade, provided that current efforts to engage global travel agents are maintained,” he said, praising Tanzania’s breathtaking landscapes and top-notch services as attributes likely to be noticed by the visiting global tourist agents.

Expressing his newfound dedication to Tanzanian tourism he promised to bring even more travel agents to future business to business events in the country, while local officials believe this initiative’s success could usher in a new era for the tourism industry.

Plenty is being staked in by consistent engagement with global travel influencers, with some projecting exponential growth of visitations in the coming years, solidifying Tanzania’s status as a global travel destination.

“With Tanzania’s doors wide open to world travellers and strategic collaborations like this one taking center stage, the future of Tanzanian tourism looks promising, vibrant and poised for unprecedented growth,” a top official noted.

Iman Nkuwi, the deputy conservation commissioner for research and training in the ministry, made a presentation on Tanzania tourism investment opportunities, affirming that the country needs investors in state-of-the-art recreation facilities.

There are other needs like wildlife captive facilities, lodge and camps, bee keeping, forestry as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, as the latter represents a lucrative part of the tourism mix across the globe. ‘MICE’ can also be referred to as business tourism or business events, an online entry explained. 

The ministry has set aside a total of 179 investment sites for accommodation facilities, projecting an additional 7,744 bed capacity, he said. 

Organised by the local dynamic duo of African Queen Adventures and Rethinking Tourism Africa (RTA), the travel agents’ summit convened by the International Ecotourism Society, wasn’t just another industry gathering but a symphony of business possibilities. 

Hundreds of local tour operators had an opportunity to engage the travel agents in the B2B exhibition, eager to forge connections with the seasoned professionals.

 Sirili Akko, a top local travel executive, said the arrival of 120 global travel agents is monumental, signalling their confidence in the country as a premier destination for travel and adventure.

  RTA director Edna Foya said that as the B2B interactions unfold, local tour companies stand to gain, with open doors bridging continents and creating lasting partnerships.