Tourism expo expected to increase visitor numbers

Dar es Salaam. The government’s effort to increase the number of tourists from the Covid-19 hit is expected to receive a boost from the Swahili International Tourism Expo (S!TE) 2023, which aims to bring more visitors to the country this year.

According to the Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB), approximately 350 international tourism product traders from within and outside the country are expected to attend the exhibition scheduled for October 6–8, 2023, in Dar es Salaam.

The government has been designing various initiatives to attract tourists, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s Royal Tour documentary, which is reported to have boosted the number of arrivals to pre-Covid levels.

“With this year’s fair, we are confident that the $6 billion revenue target by 2025 will be achieved,” TTB director general Mr Damas Mfugale told The Citizen yesterday.

“Our projection remains five million tourists a year,” he emphasised, adding that attainment of the five million tourists would, among other things, hinge on diversification of tourist attractions and the introduction of new products.

He explained that deliberate measures would be focused on the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition segment targets to contribute to the goal.

Mr Mfugale noted that through the Swahili Expo initiative, there has been an increase in exhibitors and international buyers, giving an example of between 2014 and 2022, when exhibitors increased from 40 to 170 and international buyers increased from 24 to 333.

He said that the expo was part of the implementation of the National Five-Year Development Plan III (FYDP III, 2021/22–2025/26) where, “MICE Tourism is classified as a strategic tourism product.”

According to him, this year there will be a special platform for the promotion of various tourism products as well as investments, seminars on tourism and marketing issues, and meetings of tourism traders. He also said there will be six days of travel trips to various tourist attractions in the country.

“Participants will visit places including Ruaha, Tarangire, Mkomazi, Serengeti, Saanane, Nyerere, Ngorongoro, Kilwa Kisiwani, Songo Monument, and Zanzibar Islands,” he explained.

He, therefore, called on tourism stakeholders from local and abroad, especially tourism business agents, accommodation providers, travel agents, and tour guides, to prepare for the economic and social opportunities that will arise from the expo.