Tanzanians to be educated on the benefits to visit South Africa
Posted by African Press International on July 31, 2007
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) South African Tourism Board (SATB) said Tuesday that it had launched a campaign to market South Africa as a preferred tourist destination for Tanzanians.
Speaking at a press conference held in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, SATB trade relations manager Hulisani Thabela said deliberate efforts will be made to educate Tanzanians about the benefits of visiting South Africa as traders and consumers.
Thabela said SATB would continue to invest in its country\’s tourism market, which is believed to hold a great deal of potential as a tourism and business destination.
“Deliberate efforts are in process to educate traders about the benefits that South Africa can offer Tanzanian traders and consumers in terms of tourism packages, products and business opportunities,” she said.
According to Thabela, Cape Town and the Western Cape Province has experienced 13.1 percent growth in tourist arrivals from Africa, mostly from East Africa.
“East Africa is a fairly new market for us and we are still establishing our presence in the region to strengthen trade borders.
“We are glad last year we had 70 tourist and travelling agents from Tanzania who showed interest with SATB,” she added.
According to Thabela, last year South Africa received 12,738 visitors from Tanzania, many of whom showed interest in business activities, although the popular activity remains shopping and leisure.
She said that the tourism industry in Western Cape regards the African market as an important tactical market, especially in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
She said that in preparation for the 2010 World Cup, the Western Cape tourism industry is expecting to bring 400,000 visitors to the country.
“This focus is also in line with New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD\’s) drive to give tourism priority in order to diversify economic opportunities and generate income and foreign exchange earnings for African countries,” she added.
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