CATHERINE W GICHUKI DOHA
A high-profile delegation from Tanzania is in Qatar to promote the country as a tourist destination as well as a destination for investors from Qatar.The delegation has been meeting with officials from the tourism sector, Qatar Chamber of Commerce, and Qatar Airways, among other entities.Speaking to the media, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Prof Eliamani Sedoyeka said, "Our target is to create a relationship between the business people here and the business people in Tanzania. We have Swahili International Tourism Expo which will take place from October 21 to 23, 2022 aiming at attracting business people in the tourism sector globally so that they can have relationships with business operators there.”Sedoyeka called upon businesspeople in Qatar to invest in Tanzania, including in building hotels and in the transportation sector. He added that new hotels will boost tourism sector in the country, especially in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Sedoyeka reiterated that both countries can come up with a package where travellers can visit both Qatar and Tanzania. "Qatar Airways is very reliable and is expanding. We feel that this package will be very attractive to tourists.”According to him, a flight to Tanzania takes about 7 hours and there is no time difference between Qatar and Tanzania. He added that Qatari citizens get a visa on arrival.There are more than 120 tribes in Tanzania and there is vast scope for cultural tourism, he said. "Travellers can visit Ngorongoro where the humankind evolved.It is one of the UNESCO Cultural Sites because of the people who live there.”According to him, Tanzania offerssomething for every visitor, including kite-surfing, hunting, cuisines and family tours.Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage (Zanzibar) Fatma Mabrouk Khamis said that before the pandemic about 495 Qatari citizens had visited her country. During the pandemic period the number dropped to 185, she said. She said the main aim of their visit was to promote Tanzania as a tourist destination, especially as Qatar will be hosting the FIFA World Cup and the whole world will be in Qatar. "It is a good platform to further promote our country as a destination as well as for investment opportunities. We hope that this visit will increase interest in Tanzania in terms of tourists and investors. We are also looking at how we can forge relationships with Qatar Tourism, Qatar Airways and Qatar Chamber of Commerce. We hope to forge a long-term relationship that will boost investments as well as tourism. "Talking about why tourists should choose Tanzania, Khamis explained that Serengeti has been named the best safari destination for three consecutive years in Tanzania. "Thirty percent of our natural resources are protected to make sure that we are able to live in a friendly way within the community and to make sure that the animals are not disturbed in their environment.”She said that Zanzibar also has some of the best beaches and Tanzania’s cultural heritage is rich.