Tanzanians urged to maintain kindness to attract tourists

By Vincent Mpepo-OUT

Tanzanians have been urged to maintain kindness behaviour to tourists and other foreigners who are coming in the country for tourism activities as a way to boost the country’s economy through the tourism sector.

The statement was made by Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe during the official opening of the International Conference on Tourism and Hospitality organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of the Open University of Tanzania. 

Minister Maghembe said apart from having good tourism attractions in the country, Tanzanians also need to behave in a good manner so as to attract more tourists who might be good ambassadors to their homelands.

“Tourists expects to meet people who are helpful and supportive in at least giving some explanations or support if needed”, said Prof Maghembe.

He said the government will keep on creating friendly environment in terms of security, protection of the national parks and promoting tourist attractions internationally so as to attract more tourists in the country.

He said in combating poaching the government has continued to strengthen the security in the national parks by employing new security technologies and there is an indication that they have been able to arrest illegal poachers and their network.

“Recently, we have arrested not only small hunters but also the financers and transporters who were not discovered in the past days”, said the Minister Maghembe.

On the collaboration with higher learning institutions, the minister said the government is willing to collaborate with universities in research areas that will contribute to provision of the solutions to the current challenges.

On his side, the Vice Counselor of the Open University, Prof.Elifas Bisanda said the University is implementing one of its responsibilities in sharing the findings of researches to the community through various presentations from academicians.

“Universities have three functions, teaching, research and consultancy and here we are providing services to the society “, said Prof Bisanda.

He also urged academicians and researchers to do more researches on the challenges that are facing the tourism sector thus providing solutions for the betterment of the country.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor responsible for Academics, Professor Deus Ngaruko thanked the Minister for coming and officiating the conference and his assurance to the Open University of Tanzania that his ministry will support the university on the research area.

A two days International Conference on Tourism and Hospitality was organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of the Open University of Tanzania with the support from Arusha International Conference Centre, Serena Hotels, Tanzania National Parks, Leopard Tours Limited, Hyatt Regency and Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.

Serikali Kushirikisha Wataalamu Kuikwamua Sekta ya Utalii, Ukarimu

Na Vincent Mpepo-OUT

Serikali imesema kuwa itaendelea kushirikisha wataalamu na watafiti katika kuzitafutia ufumbuzi changamoto zinazoikabili sekta ya Utalii na Ukarimu ili kuibua fursa na bidhaa mpya kupitia sekta hiyo kwa lengo la kuongeza pato la taifa.

Kauli hiyo imetolewa na Meja Jenerali Gaugence Milanzi, Katibu Mkuu, Wizara ya Maliasili na Utalii wakati akifunga wa Kongamano la Kimataifa la Utalii, Ukarimu na Ubunifu  kwa Nchi zinazoendelea jijini Dar es salaam lililoandaliwa na Idara ya Utalii na Ukarimu ya Chuo Kikuu Huria cha Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na wadau mbalimbali.

Alisema kuwa kongamano hilo limekuwa mwanzo mzuri wa kuwakutanisha wataalamu, watafiti na wadau wa ndani na nje ya nchi ambao kwa pamoja wamejadili changamoto zinazoikabili sekta ya utalii na ukarimu na kushirikishana uzoefu katika kupata suluhisho.

“Kongamano hili liwe mwanzo mzuri wa kuendelea na mijadala mingine kwa siku zijazo kwa lengo la kupata mawazo yatayosaidia kukuza sekta ya utalii”,alisema Meja Jenerali Gaugence Milanzi.

Alisema serikali kwa upande wake itaendelea kuimarisha ulinzi na usalama kwa kuwa ni kivutio kimojawapo kwa wageni na watalii hivyo kuwataka wananchi kuunga mkono juhudi hizo kwa kuendelea kuwa wakarimu kwa watalii na wageni.

Aidha aliwaasa wananchi kutokuwa na mawazo hasi kwa sheria ya ongezeko la kodi (VAT) katikalinaloigusa sekta ya utalii na ukarimu kwani ina malengo mazuri ya kuongeza mapato ya serikali ambayo yatatumika katika uboreshaji wa huduma za jamii na miundombinu.

“Tujipe muda wa kuona matokeo ya utekelezaji wa sheria hii badala ya kuwa na mawazo hasi kwa sheria hiyo”

Kwa upande wao, waandaji na washiriki wa kongamano hilo wameishauri serikali kuwatumia wataalamu na watafiti hapa nchini katika sekta ya utalii na ukarumu ili mchango wao usaidie kuboresha sekta hiyo katika kukuza uchumi wa nchi.

Akiwasilisha majumisho ya kongamano hilo, Daktari Shogo Mlozi, Mhadhiri na Mkuu Idara ya Utalii na Ukarimu ya Chuo Kikuu Huria cha Tanzania alisema kuwa serikali iwatumie wataalamu na watafiti kutoka hapa nchini katika kutafuta ufumbuzi wa changamoto katika sekta ya utalii na ukarimu.

“Ni muhimu serikali ikahusisha wataalamu katika uundaji wa sera na miongozo mbalimbali kwani watatoa utalaamu wao kwa manufaa ya Taifa”, alisema Dkt. Mlozi.

Alisema kuwa watafiti na wanataluuma wana nafasi kubwa ya kutoa mchango katika uboreshaji sekta ya utalii kupitia tafiti ambazo zikizingatiwa zinaweza kusaidia katika uboreshaji wa sekta ya utalii hivyo kuiimarisha sekta hii muhimu kwa uchumi wa taifa.

Kwa upande wake Mkuu wa Kitivo cha Sanaa na Sayansi ya Jamii, Dkt.Felician Mutasa alisema kuwa kuna hazina kubwa ya wataalamu ambao wakishirikishwa wanaweza kutoa mchango katika sekta ya utalii kupitia tafiti, ushauri na uboreshaji wa sera ya utalii kwa manufaa ya nchi.

Profesa Elifas Bisanda, Makamu Mkuu wa Chuo Kikuu Huria cha Tanzania alisema kuwa bado kuna changamoto nyingi katika sekta ya utalii lakini zaidi katika ukarimu amabapo watanzania hawajajidhatiti katika utoaji huduma bora kwa watalii na wageni.

Akitolea mfano changamoto wa huduma za hoteli hasa kwa upande wa chakula alisema kuwa si ajabu mgeni anaweza kuambiwa asubiri kwa muda fulani na hatimaye akaambiwa chakula bado hata baada ya muda huo kupita swala linaloitia doa sekta hii ukilinganisha na huduma katika hizohizo katika nchi nyingine.

“Jambo la msingi ni kujitathimini ni kwa namna gani tunawajali wageni na watalii katika utoaji wa huduma”,alisema Profesa Bisanda.

Alisema kuwa kuna umuhimu wa jamii kuelimishwa ili ijue namna ya kuwahudumia na zaidi kuwajali wageni na watalii ili kuwafanya wapende kuja Tanzania na wawe mabalozi wazuri wakirudi nchini kwao.

Kwa miaka ya hivi karibuni takwimu zinaonesha kuwa sekta ya utalii imetoa mchango mkubwa katika pato la taifa wa hadi aslimia zaidi ya 17 na asilimia 25 ya fedha za nje hivyo ni muhuimu serikali ikaipa kipaumbele.

Kongamano hilo la kimataifa katika Utalii na Ukarimu liliandaliwa na Idara ya Utalii na Ukarimu ya Chuo Kikuu Huria cha Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na wadau mbalimbali ikewemo Shirika la Hifadhi la Taifa, Serena Hotels, Leopard Tours Limited, Hyatt Regency na Kituo cha Kimataifa cha Mikutano cha Arusha na Kituo cha Mikutano cha Mwlalimu Julius Nyerere.

Gvt to Continue Working with Researchers in Promoting Tourism

By Vincent Mpepo-OUT

The government has said will continue working with researchers and academicians in research areas towards identifying opportunities and new products in tourism and hospitality so as to boost the country’s economy through the sector.

The statement has been made by Major General, Gaudence Milanzi the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism during the official closing of the International Conference on Tourism and Hospitality organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of the Open University of Tanzania held recently in Dar es salaam. 

He said the conference has been a fruitful one because researchers, academicians and tourism stakeholders from inside and out of the country have discussed the challenges facing tourism and hospitality sector and brainstormed the solutions towards on the sector.

“This conference should be the beginning of other in near future so as to have more productive ideas on how we can improve the tourism and hospitality sector”, said Major General, Milanzi.

He said currently, the government has been working tireless to strengthen security in the country as one amongst the major factors that will attract more tourists and foreigners thus developing the tourism and hospitality sector because without security it is no one from outside will be interested to come.

However, he also urged Tanzanians to be positive on the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) in tourism and hospitality sector and that it if well implemented will help to increase the government revenue and foreign exchange for the betterment of the country.

“I recommend Tanzanians and those in good will of our nation to be patient while the implementation of the law takes place instead of negativity to it” said Major General, Milanzi.

Organizers and participants and the conference advised the government to utlise the researchers and academicians in the field of tourism and hospitality so that they help in providing some solutions to the existing challenges facing tourism and hospitality sector.

Presenting the resolutions of the conference, Dr.Shogo Mlozi, a lecturer from the Open University of Tanzania said the time has come that the government should make use of the experts in the sector through researches which might provide solutions to the sustainability of tourism sector.

“The government should think on investing in development research in the tourism and hospitality for the betterment of the country’s economy”, said Dr. Mlozi.

Adding from Dr.Mlozi’s comments, Dr. Felician Mutasa said Tanzania has a number of experts who can contribute in developing the sector through research, consultancy and improvement of the existing policies related to the tourism and hospitality sector.

Professor Elifas Bisanda, the Vice Chancellor of the Open University Tanzania pointed out the hospitality sector in tourism has got some challenges whereby Tanzanians are not well informed on how to handle tourists in terms of provision of good services to foreigners something which might make the sector leg back.

“For example a tourist or a foreigner cannot be happy when told that the food is not ready, and even after waiting for some hours”, said Professor Bisanda.

He called upon for the massive education to the society to know how to treat tourists and foreigner so that they become good ambassadors to their home lands.

A two days International Conference on Tourism and Hospitality was organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of the Open University of Tanzania with the support from Arusha International Conference Centre, Serena Hotels, Tanzania National Parks, Leopard Tours Limited, Hyatt Regency and Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.

Africa needs new strategies for economic development

By Vincent Mpepo-OUT

African countries have been urged to develop, innovate and think of the new structures of economy in order to attain sustainable development in the today’s competitive market economy.

The statement was made over the weekend by Dr Piergiuseppe Fortunato during the workshop on Structural Transformation, Industrial Policy and Development held at the Open University of Tanzania, Kinondoni-Dar es salaam.

Fortunato said with the existing challenges in Africa there is a need for governments to adopt new economic strategies that will help Africa solve its internal problems of poor technology, unemployment and poverty.

The economies of developing countries need to be transformed through new economic policies that will help African countries produce more products, services and creating job opportunities to the majority.

“Economic development goes hand in hand with the transformation of economic srtuctutures technologies, means of productions, tools and the like,” said Fortunato.

According to Dr Piergiuseppe Fortunato Regional Economic Cooperation are areas to look on in creating enabling environment for trade activities among the member states because it will speed up trade relations.

He said African governments need policies targeting to altering specific sectoral structures of production that are expected to offer better prospects for economic growth towards a transformation process from previous means of production to the new ones.

Slyivatus Kashaga, a participant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing said the workshop was a platform where they discussed various issues related to economic policy making and especially from countries which are now doing well in economic.

“We have discussed and learnt practical use of economic policies and how they work in transforming the country to the better level of development like Vietnam which started as Tanzania but has gone far in agriculture to industrialization and even to specialization production,” said Kashaga.

He said Tanzania has a greater chance to produce added value products and  sophisticate them for the international market pointing out cocoa and horticulture and that the government could also put emphasis on that.

On his side, Dr Deusdedit Rwehumbiza from University of Dar es Salaam Business School said the workshop has come at the right time whereby the current government has put emphasis in developing industries in the country.

“The workshop has helped us identifying opportunities through various sectors for example manufacturing industry which if they are given priority they can enhance the country’s economic development,” said Dr Rwehumbiza.

Dr Rwehumbiza said improving manufacturing industries will help to link other sectors and produce multiple effects for instance manufacturing will require products from agriculture at the same time employment opportunities will be produced.

Despite the good will of the government to create enabling environment for investment in the country still there is a need to have priorities in terms of what to start with in implementation of structural economic transformation towards attaining the desired development results.

Meanwhile, despite the new integrated industrial development policy of 2011, a shortage of emphasis on technological learning, low absorptive capacity and low emphasis on innovation continue to hinder industrial development, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

According to the UNICTAD Report (2015) economic growth in the least developed countries has slowed since 2012 due to the impressive performance by fuel-exporting countries took the growth rate of their real gross domestic product to a post-financial crisis peak of 7.2 per cent. The report assessment covers three countries including Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

A three day workshop was organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development –Virtual Institute in collaboration with the Faculty of Business Management of the Open University of Tanzania and attended by participants from various ministries, higher learning institution and policy makers.