For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

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Love is in the air on Grand Bahama Island

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Grand Bahama Island welcomed its first international destination wedding since Hurricane Dorian this past weekend.

Fay Rickhuss and Thomas Doyle from England were married in a beautiful ceremony at the Grand Lucayan Lighthouse Pointe Gazebo on November 9, followed by a reception on Spanish Main. The wedding group included some 28 guests, friends and family who accompanied the couple from England.

The bride and groom were determined to be married on Grand Bahama island, as the bride’s father had been treated at the Immunology Center some years ago. When their flights were cancelled, they opted to arrive on Balearia Caribbean Cruise Line.

The couple also started a hurricane fund for the island.

“We are thrilled that Fay and Tom chose to celebrate their vows here on Grand Bahama Island, and we wish them a long and happy life together,” said Ian Rolle, Acting Chairman, the GBITB’s Board of Directors. “This is a wonderful vote of confidence in our island, and we are grateful for their support.”

Good news for The Bahamas

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The Islands Of The Bahamas continue to be a leading destination for travelers around the world. While the Caribbean, as a whole, is showing a positive forward booking situation for the next three months, The Bahamas is showing even more demand than expected, with new airlift to Nassau being added from major hubs across the globe. In other exciting news, The Bahamas was recently named Top Island in The Caribbean by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.

NEWS

The Bahamas Have Rebounded – The latest ForwardKeys survey showed The Bahamas are rebounding faster than expected following Hurricane Dorian. Just one month after the hurricane, The Bahamas’ tourism numbers reached 80% when compared to pre-hurricane tourism volumes. The Caribbean, as a whole, is expecting a 1.4% increase in arrivals from November – January compared to last year.

Grand Bahama Island Is Open for Business – One of the islands hit by Hurricane Dorian is ready to welcome tourists. The Grand Bahama International Airport will re-open to international flights on November 15, 2019. Many hotels on the island have re-opened and cruise ships resumed calling to the island as early as September 27.

United Airlines Adds Non-Stop Service between Denver and Nassau – United Airlines have added Saturday-only non-stop service from Denver to Nassau. The service begins March 7, 2020 and continues through August 15, 2020.

British Airways Increases Non-Stop Service between London and Nassau – Beginning March 29, 2020, British Airways will operate non-stop service between London Heathrow and Nassau every Tuesday. British Airways will now offer non-stop service between London and Nassau Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s New Nassau Offering – Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line introduced its popular cruise and stay program to Nassau. Departing from the port of West Palm Beach, passengers can choose from a two or six night stay at participating resorts in Nassau, including SLS Baha Mar, The Melia Nassau Beach All-Inclusive or Comfort Suites Paradise Island. Over 250,000 stayover guests are expected to arrive to in The Islands Of The Bahamas in the next year.

MOT POST DORIAN OPEN FOR BUSINESS COVERAGE

• PR Results By The Numbers:

60+ media interviews and requests fulfilled
200+ placements pitched and secured featuring “Islands Open for Business” messaging
917MM+ positive media impressions generated, and counting.

AWARDS

The Bahamas Awarded in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards – The Islands Of The Bahamas placed tenth in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Top 10 Islands in The Caribbean & Atlantic. Despite the trying hurricane season, The Islands continue to be a leader in Caribbean travel.

Guam Visitors Bureau: Over 200 offers available in eighth year of Shop Guam e-Festival

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The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) is proud to announce that 142 local businesses are taking part in the eighth annual Shop Guam e-festival, providing 208 special offers to island residents and visitors. The GVB signature event launches on Thursday, November 10, 2019, and will run through Thursday, February 10, 2019.

“With over 200 exclusive offers every year from our local businesses, everyone can take part in the Shop Guam e-Festival, for free,” said GVB President and CEO Pilar Laguaña. “Shop Guam is the only campaign that our industry stakeholders can promote their products and services across our diverse source visitor markets. We encourage everyone to download the free app and take advantage of the different experiences and deals, especially during the holiday season.”

Inspired by Airbnb’s Experience Marketplace, GVB is also inviting all aspiring businesses or talents to host an event or experience through Shop Guam.

“Our most significant new focus this year is to bring Shop Guam into the 19 districts and 24 villages across Guam,” said GVB Director of Global Marketing Nadine Leon Guerrero. “We are actively recruiting small village vendors and entrepreneurs to be a part of Shop Guam. It supports GVB’s ongoing effort to extend tourism outside of Tumon and create an impact for Guam’s community at large.”

Shop Guam Ambassadors to promote e-Festival

Seven social media influencers from China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan are on the island this week to help boost the awareness of the e-Festival launch. These ambassadors, chosen by GVB, have over 2.6 million followers, across different social media platforms that include Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, Weibo, and Naver. They will also have a more immersive community experience hosted by some of Guam’s aspiring local talents. The 2019 Shop Guam e-Festival influencers are Po Yan (Hong Kong), So Hee Nam (Korea), Ayaka Kawaguchi (Japan), Karen Okajima (Japan), Peter Su (Taiwan), Ruo Guam Nian Hua (China) and An Lan (China).

Upcoming promotional features

The Shop Guam mobile app will continue to be the primary marketing toolkit to help GVB to promote our local attractions and offers. Since GVB launched the Shop Guam mobile app, it has achieved just nearly 200,000 total user downloads. The app will again come with the iBeacon Bluetooth enabled proximity marketing technology and QR Code to send push notifications to the app users when they are near a participating merchant. GVB is also producing social media micro-videos featuring all the merchants and their offers in the campaign throughout GVB’s global social media network, including GVB’s Instagram Stories and TikTok China channel.

Evolution of Shop Guam

The Shop Guam e-Festival began in 2012 with only 10 merchants and has now connected with more than 962 merchants promoting to global markets and tourists. The campaign has attracted 2.2 million visitors to Guam with the ability to reach GVB’s top source markets through innovative marketing technology.

The Shop Guam e-Festival mobile app received the 2017 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award for the best mobile app category. In addition, the Shop Guam campaign supported GVB’s historic recognition as the first tourism office in the United States to win the prestigious President’s “E” Award for tourism export excellence.

For more information, contact GVB’s Shop Guam e-Festival liaison Robbie Gerrie S.N. Bautista at [email protected] or call (671) 797-9900.

What’s new in the Islands of the Bahamas for November

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Grand Bahama Island has already rebounded from Hurricane Dorian with a handful of reopenings this month.  Many of its hotels and attractions have reopened or plan to do so shortly, while cruise ships have resumed calling to the island and the airport plans to resume international service this month. The Islands Of The Bahamas are truly Open For Business and are ready to welcome visitors as we head into the holiday season.

GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND REOPENS

Hotel Openings – Many of Grand Bahama Island’s resorts reopened towards the end of October, including Grand Lucayan Lighthouse Pointe, Castaways Resort & Suites, Taino Beach Resort & Clubs, Paradise Cove, The Village Bahamia, Royal Islander Resort and Sunrise Resort &Marina. Pelican Bay Hotel, Ocean Reef Yacht Club & Resort and Bell Channel Inn are open to relief workers. While its marina, Teasers Beach Side Bar & Grill, Banana Hammocks Harbour Side Bar and the beachside pool reopened in October, Old Bahama Bay Resort is expected to reopen to guests in November.

International Airport – Grand Bahama International Airport has a tentative opening of mid-November while Bahamasair and Western Air have resumed domestic services out of temporary facilities.

Cruise Port – Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Celebration returned to regular scheduled  sailings on September 27. Passengers have the option to add a free volunteer excursion to help on the ground or assemble family boxes onboard the ship. Carnival Cruise Line has also resumed sailings to Grand Bahama Island. Between the relaunch date and the end of the year, Carnival expects to host 39 calls in Freeport, bringing more than 100,000 visitors to the island.

OTHER NEWS

The Bahamas Awarded in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards – The Islands Of The Bahamas placed tenth in Condé Nast Travelers’ 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Top 10 Islands in The Caribbean & Atlantic. Despite the trying hurricane season, The Islands continue to be a leader in Caribbean travel.

United Airlines Adds Non-Stop Service between Denver and Nassau – United Airlines have added Saturday-only non-stop service from Denver to Nassau. The service begins March 7 and continues through August 15.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s New Nassau Offering – Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line introduced its popular cruise and stay program to Nassau. Departing from the port of West Palm Beach, passengers can choose from a two or six night stay at participating resorts in Nassau, including SLS Baha Mar, The Melia Nassau Beach All-Inclusive or Comfort Suites Paradise Island. Over 250,000 stayover guests are expected to arrive to The Islands Of The Bahamas in the next year.

PROMOTIONS AND OFFERS

For a complete, up-to-date listing of deals and packages for The Bahamas, visit www.bahamas.com/deals-packages.

Warwick Paradise Island’s Fourth Night Free – Guests traveling through December 15 can earn a fourth night free when spending three nights at Warwick Paradise Island.

Pineapple Fields’ Special Offer  – Stay in a one bedroom upstairs condo for three days or more from November 18 – December 15 and save 20% when booking by phone.

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Stay up-to-date with the latest events and happenings in The Bahamas: www.bahamas.com/events

The P1 AquaX Bahamas World Championship (November 8 – November 10) – Atlantis, Paradise Island will play host to professional watercraft competitors, representing 12 countries for the P1 AquaX Bahamas World Championship. Additional festivities will include a nearby Race Village with live music, local bands, food and activities for all ages. Tickets can be purchased at www.atlantisbahamas.com/p1-aquax.

Bahamas Hoopfest (November 27 – November 30) – In partnership with International Youth Education & Sports Foundation, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation will be hosting the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Thanksgiving Classic in Nassau this year. This will be the first women’s basketball event of its kind to be hosted in The Bahamas. View fan packages here.

The Jonas Brothers at Atlantis (December 30) – GRAMMY-nominated band, the Jonas Brothers, will perform at Atlantis, Paradise Island on December 30, 2019. The performance is a part of the resort’s acclaimed entertainment series Atlantis LIVE. This will be the multiplatinum trio’s fifth time performing for Atlantis LIVE and 10 years since their last Atlantis performance. Tickets are available for purchase at jonasbrothersatlantis.com.

ABOUT THE BAHAMAS

With over 700 islands and cays, and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 55 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. It’s also easy to get to The Bahamas from Canada by traveling on Air Canada or Westjet. The Islands Of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating and thousands of miles of the earth’s most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It’s Better in The Bahamas.

For more news about the Bahamas, please click here.

WTM: ‘No easy answers’ when it comes to promoting controversial countries

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Bloggers have urged writers and travelers at World Travel Market (WTM) London to do their own research about countries with ‘morally questionable’ regimes.

In a debate at WTM London about the ethics of promoting controversial countries, American blogger Kerwin McKenzie advised delegates: “Don’t jump on the bandwagon. It happens a lot on social media – but let’s talk about it, do your research, ask friends.

“If you can talk to the locals, that is good.”

He recalled being in Zimbabwe, where he saw people queuing to enter from Zambia, as their livelihood depending on selling to tourists.

“Think about the people rather than the governments,” he commented.

“Be respectful in other countries. Don’t be rude, especially on social media, and be careful as you may be wrong.”

London-based travel blogger Julie Falconer said boycotting certain destinations may “hurt the people rather than the regime”.

“Influencers can call attention to issues and that might change things, so we should consider engaging,” she said.

“If you think being there will do more good than harm, then you should go.”
But she agreed that many travel writers and content creators were not comfortable with criticising the politics of a destination.

“Some people are better equipped to talk about issues. I sometimes talk about political issues in my blog but people would not read it if I talked about politics all the time,” she added.

Michael Ball, moderator and co-founder of Traverse, an influencer marketing and events company, admitted he is privileged as a “white, middle-class British male”, because he can go to places that gay friends might avoid.

29th International Book Fair opens in Abu Dhabi

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Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is playing host to the 29th edition of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair that kicked off on Wednesday with more than 500,000 titles on display.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated the event, according to the state-run WAM news agency.

He emphasized the importance of the fair in supporting the UAE’s status in the publishing industry, being one of the most important book fairs in the region that attracts Arab and international publishers.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, the fair features more than 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries.

Running until April 30, the fair also includes several daily events for visitors such as seminars, workshops, author signings and entertainment activities.

With India as the event’s guest of honour, at least 30 Indian publishing companies are taking part.

This year’s book fair also sees the introduction of three new interactive zones: the E-Zone, Comic Corner and the Entertainment Zone.

Each of the three zones features unique experiences for learning, innovation and entertainment.

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China announces Great Wall “emergency repair” over next 5 years

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China’s government has formulated an emergency work plan to repair dilapidated sections of the Great Wall in the next five years, according to the municipal cultural heritage authorities.

The work plan has set 2,772 meters of the Great Wall and 17 towers as the priority for “emergency repair” over the next three years.

Beijing boasts a total length of 520.77 km of the Great Wall, which is more than 21,000 km long and traverses through 15 provinces and cities.

Since 2000, Beijing has earmarked 470 million yuan (70 million U.S. dollars) for the Great Wall protection fund.

In the next stage, the city has planned to comprehensively protect and develop the Great Wall Cultural Belt, with a total area of 4,929.29 square km, which includes both heritage protection and ecological conservation.

Shu Xiaofeng, director of the Beijing municipal administration of cultural heritage, said Beijing will make use of scientific and technological means, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and sensors, to protect and monitor the Great Wall, and carry out archaeological research.

He said the protection of the Great Wall is not only to protect the wall itself, but also to protect cultural relics along the cultural belt.

The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls, some dating back 2,000 years.

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Myth-Mania: Stories of men, heroes and indigenous world at MarTa

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The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MarTa) celebrated the return of important finds back home. Myth-Mania, rediscovered stories of men and heroes, speaks of objects taken from necropolises by grave robbers, and illegally smuggled out of the country.

Fourteen precious finds – Apulian red-figure vases, now displayed at the MarTa, have been returned to Italy by the Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Metropolitan in New York, thanks to the investigative work of the Command of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and diplomatic negotiations of the MiBAC in synergy with the State Attorney and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The vases were produced on the turn of the fourth century BC in ancient Apulia, destined to satisfy the claims of refinement of the natives, who populated the lands around the Greek cities of southern Italy.

The volute krater- a vase originally intended for the symposium – at a time when men, according to the Greek fashion, at the end of the banquet mixed wine with water, honey and spices in this container and then poured it into the cups – it was used later for grave goods and testified to the wealth and sophistication of the burial owner.

Even the subjects that decorate the sides of the vases are funerary subjects. At the center of one of the two sides there are often stelae or small temples with statues, which reproduce the funerary monuments most in use at the time in Apulia.

The images painted on the vases can go back to telling stories of men and heroes who use the language of myth not for a simple “mania”, as the title of the exhibition provocatively suggests, but as a tool for sharing values and building identities among Greeks.

The director of MarTa highlighted the work she carried out for two years for the restoration of the vessels, following their finding in the MarTa’s museum storage shortly after taking office in 2016:

“Our museum is a great tourist attraction, explains the director. It boasts an annual turnout of 80,000 visitors including Russians, English, Americans and Chinese. Thanks to European funds (2.5 million euros), we are working at the Marta 3.0 project, which concerns the digitalization of the cataloging of over 40 thousand open data and open source exhibits, which means making an archaeological and artistic heritage available to all among the largest and most valuable in the world.

A FabLab is also being set up to allow the most representative works to be reproduced in 3D prints, thus activating valuable merchandising that will be supported by our internal boutique”.

Next to the exhibition of vases is the entire museum structure which on three floors houses exhibits of rare beauty: one above all the athlete’s sarcophagus.

A tourism promotion project.

The image of Taranto, always identified as an industrial and military (Navy) city, was destroyed following the environmental disasters caused by the Ilva industry.

For the last two years, the city has been experiencing a period of rebirth, explains the director Eva Degl’Innocenti, and in the absence of a tourism plan, the need to involve local authorities and private entrepreneurship to create a system for tourist reception with the revival of itineraries of Magna Graecia, involving Paestum, Naples and Reggio Calabria has become apparent.

The MarTa, is one of the richest archaeological museums in Italy, especially with regard to finds from the Greek-Roman period, including the famous collection of gold and silver found in the province of the famous city of Magna Grecia (Taranto) between the IV and the 1st century BC.

Having remained dormant for many years, the MarTa has implemented a revival by hosting highly successful exhibitions. Today museum is a great tourist attraction and boasts an annual turnout of 80,000 visitors including Russians, English, Americans and Chinese.

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New rhino born at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

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On 19th April, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, located north of Uganda’s capital, Kampala registered the latest rhino birth.

According to Angie Genade, Executive Director of the Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the newly born rhino is second generation to be born at the Sanctuary. It was sired by dad Agustu and Mom Malaika, both born at the sanctuary to Nandie a donation from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, USA and father, Taleo from Kenya. This brings the total number of Southern White rhinos to 27, following their reintroduction into the country in 1997, since the Northern White Rhino and her cousin the Black Rhino were driven to extinction in the country in the late 70’s and early 80s.

In 2015, the, the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) launched a ten year Rhino Strategy as part of species-specific management plans and strategies including for Shoebill and Crested Crane.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is an ideal stopover for tourists traveling or returning from Murchison Falls or Kidepo Valley National Parks, on a weekend break or excursion to track the two-ton beasts. Amuka Lodge nestled within the sanctuary also provides rustic accommodation for visitors.The sanctuary also hosts prolific birdlife including habitat to the rare Shoebill Stork, oribi, bushbuck, Uganda kob, hippo, and 15 mammalian species.

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A new Tourism potential in Tanzania: The Southern Circuit

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A new Tourism potential is about to be unlocked In Tanzania. All roads and international air routes will in the near future, be leading to the Southern circuit, as the tour operators have major plans to open new tourism revenue streams.

Complimenting the Government’s drive to transform the Southern tourism circuit, the key tourism players are currently scouting for apt partners to invest heavily in accommodations as part of a strategy to open up the area for travel.

It is understood, the Fifth Government under President Dr John Pombe Magufuli is working overtime to put up hardware infrastructures as it seeks to unleash the full economic potential of the area.

Impressed by the government move to designate Iringa as the Southern circuit hub, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) last week deployed a delegation led by its Vice-Chairman, Mr Henry Kimambo to identify new potential members in its effort to establish a chapter in the area to cater for the entire Southern circuit.

“We want to replicate the best practices from the northern tourism circuit to Southern shred,” Mr Kimambo told the tour operators in Iringa during the engagement meeting.

He revealed that TATO plans to bring its services close to its members in Southern circuit, comprising Morogoro, Iringa, Njombe and Mbeya anytime soon.

This implies that the 36-year-old advocacy agency for a multi-billion dollar industry, with its base in northern safari capital of Arusha, will soon have a liaison office in Iringa to take care its Southern circuit members.

Mr Kimambo said that his association was aware that the Southern circuit based tour operators not only have their own different issues but also need strong ties with their northern tourism circuit peers if the tourism potential is to be unleashed.

Presenting the benefits before the Southern Circuit tour operators, TATO Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sirili Akko said lobbying and advocacy is a core service offered by his association.

“Members enjoy the conducive business environment as TATO represent a collective voice for private tour operators in lobbying and advocate towards the common goal of improving the business climate in Tanzania” Mr Akko explained.

TATO also provides unparalleled networking opportunities for its members, allowing individuals tour operators or company to connect with their peers, mentors, and other industry leaders and policymakers.

As a member, one is in the unique position to attend conventions, seminars, award dinners and other related events with like-minded professionals in the field. These events are attended by the brightest minds and are a hotbed of ideas and collaborative efforts.

“An association’s annual General meeting represents an incredible opportunity for members to meet and network with the largest gathering of their peers during the year” Mr Sirili explained.

TATO also trains its members on key issues such as labour laws, tax compliance, corporate social responsibility, conservation issues, among others, he noted.

As if that was not enough, TATO members also enjoy the service of having a platform where they channel their operational or policy related challenges to the government for a solution.

Members are also bonded together as they advocate for their peers and share their challenges and triumphs with one another, TATO CEO explained.

“Indeed, TATO provides members with a competitive advantage because they become active, informed members of their industry” Mr Sirili said, stressing that his members also get updates on all issues on tourism and related sectors by providing resources, information, and opportunities they might not have had otherwise.

Thanks to USAID PROTECT Project for building the capacity of TATO, an umbrella organization with over 300 members, for it to become an efficient advocacy agency for the tourism sector.

Project coordinator, Mr Jumapili Chenga said the scaling up membership base for TATO is one of his scheme’s components.

Iringa Region Tourism Officer, Ms Hawa Mwichaga was grateful that at the long last a strategy to unlock the Southern tourism circuit has stepped up a gear.

Tour operators from Iringa, Mbeya and other regions namely Ernest Luwala, Nancy Mfugale, Modestus Mdemu, Serafina Lanzi supported the idea of joining TATO as a concrete step to spur tourism in southern circuit.

Natural Resources and Tourism Ministry’s officer-in-charge for Southern Circuit, Ms Tully Kulanya said her zone has a great potential for tourism business.

“The Southern Parks are the perfect destinations for travelers looking for plentiful and rare wildlife in a remote area of Africa” Ms Kulanya noted.

The national parks namely Mikumi, Udzungwa, Kitulo Ruaha, as well as Selous Game Reserve, have fewer visitors and give the feeling of being all-alone. Activities include game drives in open vehicles, boat safaris, and walking safaris. These safaris include flights between the parks.

Tanzania’s earnings from tourism jumped 7.13 percent in 2018, helped by an increase in arrivals from foreign visitors, the government has said.

Tourism is the main source of hard currency in Tanzania, best known for its beaches, wildlife safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Revenues from tourism fetched $2.43 billion for the year, up from $2.19 billion in 2017, Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa said in a presentation to parliament.

Tourist arrivals totaled 1.49 million in 2018, compared with 1.33 million a year ago, Majaliwa said.

President John Magufuli’s government said it wants to bring in 2 million visitors a year by 2020.

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