TANZANIA tour operators on Thursday called on the
government to strengthen its national flag carrier Air Tanzania and introduce
direct flight between Dar es Salaam and China's capital Beijing.
The idea would help Tanzania increase number of
tourists visiting the country which is very rich in different types of tourist
attractions in east and central Africa, tour operators said in the northern
safari capital of Arusha, when debating on the international marketing strategy
for Tanzania as tourist destination.
"China and Japan is our potential market for
tourism, but we haven't managed to explore that market," said Sam Kasulwa,
information and communication officer of the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania
(TCT).
Kasulwa said studies have shown that lots of Chinese
are now interested in traveling abroad, but Tanzania hasn't yet created better
infrastructure to serve such opportunity.
"Let's invest in our airline and penetrate the
Chinese market. We are failing to benefit out of tourism because of the absence
of this facility," he said.
Joseph Mwema, director general of the Tomodachi
Tours and Safaris Ltd., said for the past five years Air Tanzania hasn't been
stabilized.
"This is a challenge, the government should
work on it and make sure that the airline operates efficiently and use it to
boost tourism," he said.
The number of tourists who visited Tanzania last
year hit over one million and put the East African country among leading
destinations in Africa.
Key tourist assets and attractions which represent
Tanzania's tourism are the Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti
National Park, which boasts over five million big African mammals.
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