GOVT TO INTENSIFY TOURISM CAMPAIGNS

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe (right), hands over the national flag to Tanzania ambassador to Zimbabwe Adad Rajabu, before 14 Tanzanian envoys started a six-day climb of Mount Kilimanjaro through the Marangu gate. PHOTO| DANIEL MJEMA 

Moshi. The minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, said yesterday that his ministry will next year use economic diplomacy to sell Tanzanian tourists attraction features including Mount Kilimanjaro to the international community.

The minister said Tanzanians needed to feel ashamed that only 2,000 wananchi had managed to climb the mountain in the 2013/2014 period in spite of the fact that it was one of the country’s most iconic attractions. Mr Membe said this during a ceremony to flag off 14 Tanzanian ambassadors who are climbing the mountain via the Marangu route.

“Our ministry has decided to cement economic diplomacy through selling our tourist attractions and one of those is Mount Kilimanjaro” said Membe.

He said that data showed that out of one million tourists who entered the country in 2014, only 50,000 climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

He said it would be useful if envoys would successfully climb the mountain to understand why they should keep asking tourists to visit the country.

“ I believe that after this exercise, ambassadors will be motivated and help to bring more tourists into the country,” he said.

The permanent secretary in the ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Adelhelm Meru, said for the past four years tourism has been contributing to the national economy by 17 per cent of GDP.

CREDIT SOURCE: THE CITIZEN