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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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UNWTO Convenes Cities in Lisbon to Cooperate on a Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Tourism Agenda

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The first UNWTO Mayors Forum for Sustainable Urban Tourism, co-organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the Lisbon Municipality concluded Friday in Lisbon, Portugal. The event gathered Mayors and high-level city representatives from around the world, UN agencies and the private sector, to design a shared leadership aimed at ensuring that tourism helps creating cities for all.

Under the theme ‘Cities for all: building cities for citizens and visitors’, the forum explored issues and solutions for developing and managing tourism in cities in a way that promotes economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

In a time of intense debate over the growing number of tourists and the livability and sustainability of cities, the forum exchanged ideas and good practices on urban tourism and destination management, discussed innovative tools and public policies on urban tourism at the national and local levels and way of promoting the integration of tourism into wider national and local urban development agenda.

“The income generated from tourism contributes significantly to the socio-economic and cultural development of many cities and its surroundings. Yet, the growth of urban tourism also creates important challenges in terms of the use of natural resources, socio-cultural impact, pressure on infrastructure, mobility, congestion management and relationship with host communities. Tourism policies should thus be designed as integrated urban policies that promote a well-balanced city economically, socially and environmentally” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili opening the event.

The Portuguese Minister of Economy, Pedro Siza Vieira, acknowledged that “tourism is a major driver for the Portuguese economy. Portugal welcomes this first Mayors Forum as an international stage for discussing the challenges that urban tourism faces and how local communities can benefit the most from tourism. The Lisbon Declaration is a firm commitment from all participants so that tourism contributes materially to the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The Portuguese Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, added that “social sustainability in tourism is one of the main priorities in our 2027 Tourism Strategy. We launched a Sustainability Program for the development of projects by the civil society that involve local populations and tourists so that tourism leaves value in the territories”.

The Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, said “The growth of tourism has important and positive economic impacts. Yet for managing such growth, ensuring sustainability and safeguarding the quality of life of Lisbon’s citizens requires more investment in infrastructure. In Lisbon, we are implementing measures such as increasing transport capacity and investment in urban infrastructure catering for residents and tourists.”

Issues discussed include big data and innovative solutions, new business models, creative cities and events, infrastructure, resources and planning, local community engagement and empowerment and how to ensure the full inclusion of tourism in the wider urban agenda.

Participating in the Forum were Gustavo Santos of Argentina, Secretary of State for Tourism of Argentina, Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism of Portugal, Isabel Oliver, the Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain, Mayors and Vice Mayors of 16 cities around the world (Barcelona, Bruges, Brussels, Dubrovnik, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Moscow, Nur-Sultan, Paris, Porto, Prague, Punta del Este, Tbilisi, Sao Paulo and Seoul), UNES>CO, UN Habitat, the World Bank, the European Committee of the Regions as well as Amadeus, Airbnb, CLIA, Expedia, Mastercard and Unidigital.

The Forum adopted the Lisbon Declaration on Sustainable Urban Tourism, in which participants reinforced their commitment to align urban tourism policies with the United Nations New Urban Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, namely Goal 11 – ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’.

The Lisbon Declaration on Sustainable Urban Tourism will be presented at the twenty-third session of the General Assembly of UNWTO, to be held this September in St. Petersburg, Russia.

During the event, UNWTO Secretary-General and the Mayor Bakhyt Sultanov of Nursultan (Kazakhstan) signed an agreement for the hosting of the 8th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, to be held on 9 to 12 October 2019.

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Cable Car to be introduced on Mount Kilimanjaro, amid protest

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A cable car is to be rolled out on Mount Kilimanjaro by a foreign company to improve access and boost tourism, amid strong protest from key local industry players.

Overlooking the sprawling Savannah plains of Tanzania and Kenya, the snow-capped mountain of Kilimanjaro rises majestically in splendid isolation to 5,895 metres above the sea level, making it the world’s highest freestanding peak.

Tanzania Deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Constantine Kanyasu says the Cable Car facility was part of the government’s latest strategy to woo tourists with over 50 years of age.

Mr Kanyasu says that they hope that the cable car will allow more ageing tourists to experience the wide variety of nature and wildlife of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Instead of the familiar views of snow and ice, this cable car would offer a day trip safari with a bird’s eye view, contrary to the eight-day hiking trip.

The initial work for the cable car has just taken off with AVAN Kilimanjaro hiring the Crescent Environment and Management (CEM) Consult Limited to conduct Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

CEM officer Beatrice Mchome had engaged tour operators and other mountain stakeholders in Kilimanjaro and Arusha region where she made presentations on the proposed cable car and a lodge projects as part of the ESIA process.

Uproar

Key industry players, namely tour operators, guides and porters strongly protest the new facility, saying climbing the magnificent Kilimanjaro Mountain on foot is a lifetime experience that should never be compromised by cable cars.

Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society (MKPS) opposes the cable car product outright, saying it will deny employment nearly 250,000 unskilled porters scaling up Mount Kilimanjaro for a wage each year.

“Much as the cable car service doesn’t require porters, majority of tourists will climb Mount Kilimanjaro on day trip basis using the new product to cut down costs and length of stay,” MKPS vice chairman Edson Mpemba explains.

Mpemba wonders that decision makers had overlooked interests of the huge number of unskilled labour force, which solely depends on the mountain to eke out a living.

“Think of the ripple effect on families of the 250,000 unskilled porters,” he stresses, cautioning:

“The cable car facility will initially look like a noble and innovative idea, but it will, in a long run, ruin the future of the majority of local people whose livelihood depends on the mountain.”

Seasoned tour guide Victor Manyanga echoes his fears saying the glittering cable car product will contradict the country’s conservation policy, as it will encourage mass tourism and become a major threat to the ecology of Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The cable car will be installed along the Machame route, which doubles as an irreplaceable birds migratory route…I am greatly worried over electric wires severely affecting the migration of birds,” Manyanga says.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a tour operator accuses authorities of deliberately violating the law of the land by allowing a foreign investor to operate a cable car service on Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The law provides for exclusivity of Mount Kilimanjaro services to local operators, how come a foreign company is licensed to operate a cable car against it?” he queries.

Section 58(2) of the 2008 Tanzania Tourism Act No 11 clearly says mountain climbing or trekking registration will be issued to companies fully owned by Tanzanians.

Tour operators are also worried over the cable car harshly affecting revenues in a long run, owing to the service significantly reducing the length of stay from eight to one day.

“Assume all 50,000 tourists hiking Mount Kilimanjaro a year opt for the cable car, the national park will get $4.1 million fee, down from the current $55.3 million,” the tour operators say.

They fear the multiplier effect of the decline to the entrance, camping, rescue and crew fees will also be reflected on the national economy.

Chief Park Warden with Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) Betty Looibok says the cable car is but only one of several additional tourism products embedded into Mount Kilimanjaro’s General Management Plan (GMP) in an effort to boost revenue.

“Cable car is for physically challenged persons and aged tourists who want to experience the thrill of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro up to Shira Plateau without wishing to summit,” she explains.

Looibok says the construction of the cable car will depend on the outcome of the environmental and social impact assessment study, which is currently underway.

Plans for the cable car service on the Kilimanjaro Mountain are not entirely new; as the discussions date back 1960s when they were not successful.

The feasibility plan in place will, however, bring the cable car one step closer to reality and make the mountain more accessible than it has been so far.

Some of the 50,000 tourists conquering Mount Kilimanjaro peaks a year though use challenging specialist routes, most of them opt for one of the six separate walking routes to the roof.

They generally take seven to eight days and are provided with accommodation in camps pitched around peaks for them to adjust to the altitude as they ascend.

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India stakeholders focus on sustainable development of Heritage Tourism

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PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organized the 8th India Heritage Tourism Conclave with the theme “Sustainable Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites” on March 27, 2019 at WelcomHotel The Savoy, Mussoorie. The program was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Inaugurating the Conclave, Dr. Sanjeev Chopra (IAS), Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, said: “A country as diverse as India is symbolized by the plurality of its culture and heritage. Heritage tourism in India is a real treasure as there are numerous cultural, historical and natural resources. There are immense possibilities of heritage tourism in India. This type of event can prove to be a milestone for increasing the tourism business of the country.”

H.E. Chung Kwang Tien, Ambassador, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India; H.E. Fleming Duarte, Ambassador, Embassy of Paraguay; H.E. Dato Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner, High Commission of Malaysia; H.E. Eleonora Dimitrova, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria; and H.E. Jagdishwar Goburdhun, High Commissioner-Designate, Mauritius High Commission were also present at the program and shared the heritage tourism potential of their respective countries.

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its Knowledge Partner- Auctus Advisors have jointly released a Knowledge Report ‘Sustainable Heritage Tourism in India’. The report gives a holistic view on heritage tourism across the world and in the country. The report says that while growth in Indian tourism needs to be aggressively taken up, the sustainability dimension of tourism also needs to be viewed with equal importance.

Radha Bhatia, Chairperson – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI, said that the ancient past of India has ensured that the present and subsequent generations have abundant of historical and cultural inheritance to be proud of. “The restoration efforts to safeguard valuable heritage assets at government’s end in association with various agencies and organizations are visible at places of historic significance but there are so many places which still stand apart and require immediate attention. Preserving India’s cultural heritage for the enrichment and education of present and future generations is crucial,” she said.

Kishore Kumar Kaya, Co-Chairman – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI welcomed all the dignitaries and expressed his desire to host more such programmes in future at WelcomHotel The Savoy, Mussoorie.

Ruskin Bond, Leading Indian Author; Bill Aitken, Travel Writer and Dinraj Pratap Singh, Owner, Kasmanda Palace were felicitated during the program.

While setting the theme of the Conclave, Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chairman – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI, said, “India’s World Heritage Tourism Sites have an added advantage for attracting international tourists. Nearly 85% of all visitors to India visit one or the other heritage sites of the country in their course of the vacation. Tourism in India has shown a phenomenal growth in the past decade and is expected to emerge as the most important revenue earner for India in the years to come.”

Panel Discussion on ‘Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for promotion of Heritage Tourism’ had Vinod Zutshi (IAS Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as the moderator and witnessed Bhavna Saxena (IPS), Special Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board; Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators; Dr. Lokesh Ohri, Convenor – Dehradun Chapter, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage; Anil Bhandari, Chairman, A B Smart Concepts; Ganesh Saili, Indian Author; Kulmeet Makkar, CEO, Producers Guild of India; Virendra Kalra, Chairman – Uttarakhand Chapter, PHDCCI; Sandeep Sahni, President, Hotels & Restaurants Association of Uttarakhand; Sumit Kumar Agarwal, Secretary General, Tribal India Chamber of Trade Agriculture and Commerce; and Manish Chheda, Managing Director, Auctus Advisors.

Heritage tourism in India with 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and numerous other natural sites has immense potential that need repeat visits to cover all of them. The challenges are very demanding keeping in mind conservation and environmental protection. ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’ by Ministry of Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is one of the best practices to showcase our monuments and drive sustainable growth.

The panelists highlighted that the need of the hour is to have a clear vision and a well-defined execution plan with the goal of sustainable development that provides conservation and growth, clean air, water, energy and heritage at large. Technology, documentation, capacity building and regulation are the way to go for sustainable development of heritage tourism.

A Heritage Walk was also organized during the program for all the delegates to enjoy the heritage of Mussoorie not only as past, but as a living tradition.

Yogesh Srivastav, Principal Director, PHDCCI, said that PHDCCI is committed to create such meaningful platforms to do its bit in enabling all the parameters of the tourism industry to grow and flourish further. The Conclave was attended by over 150 delegates.

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Single-use plastic ban, food waste and local produce top priorities in Centara’s 2019 Sustainability Plan

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Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is focusing on three key sustainability initiatives as part of the company’s recently announced 2019 Sustainability Plan: eliminating single-use plastic products; reducing its food waste footprint; and expanding its support of local farming and produce-growing communities.

  1. No Single-Use Plastic Products by end-2019

The elimination of single-use plastic items is part of the “Centara Earth Care” program aimed at encouraging hotel guests and tourists to be proactive about energy saving, waste reduction and sustainable environmental tourism. The sustainability plan covers five types of single-use plastic items, including drinking straws, laundry bags, take-away food containers, fitness center and poolside plastic bottles, and plastic guest room amenities. They are being replaced with items made from materials designed to minimize environmental impact.

“Centara strives to operate ethically and sustainably in a balanced manner across the entire portfolio whilst providing an exceptional level of Thai hospitality,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to selecting environmentally friendly produce which, in turn, enables us to further incorporate sustainable strategies and development into our products and services, creating shared value at an environmental, social and economic level wherever we operate. We are also committed to ensuring a respectful, safe and healthy environment to the larger society and our future generations.”

Centara began phasing in its elimination of single-use plastic products in 2018 across all 39 of its operating properties. Under the plan, alternative products which are reusable and made from environmentally friendlier materials, including plant-based, compostable and bio-degradable plastics, will be fully phased in by year-end.

  • Phase I, targeting the elimination of plastic straws, began in August 2018. The single-use plastic straws being eliminated take up to 200 years to decompose; the new bio-straws replacing them decompose within six months. Once the change is fully enacted throughout all Centara properties, the reduction in plastic straw consumption will total nearly 2.2 million straws per year.

 

  • Phase II, eliminating the use of plastic laundry bags, began in December 2018. Moving forward, these practices will also become Centara’s standards for all existing and new properties.

  1. Food Waste Reduction

Centara’s new and continuing food-related sustainability initiatives include:

  • further reducing food waste and minimizing each property’s carbon footprint with expanded purchasing of fresh local foods from herb, fruit and vegetable growers
  • making same-day donations of surplus food to charities located near each property
  • providing local farms with pre-separated organic waste for composting
  • transforming waste at select properties into biogas fuel, a blend of mostly methane and carbon dioxide gases which can be used in place of fossil fuels.

In 2018, Centara supported the Bangkok-based foundation Scholars of Sustenance (SOS Thailand) by making same-day donations of more than 28,000 kilograms (kg) of quality surplus food. The donations provided over 86,000 servings to those in need, while the reduction in Centara’s food waste saved over 54,000 kg of GHG equivalent emissions.

Both Centra by Centara Maris Resort Jomtien and Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket have biogas machines on-site capable of converting 30-100 kg of organic waste each day into an equivalent number of litres of organic compost and biogas comparable to nearly five kg/day of LPG fuel. Since July 2018, the Cowtec Composting & Biogas Production Machine installed at Centra by Centara Maris Resort Jomtien has been processing organic waste from the property’s kitchens, staff canteens and landscaping works. By the end of 2018, the machine had composted more than 5,700 kg of organic waste and produced 262 kg of biogas equivalent LPG.

  1. Strengthen Local Communities

Centara’s 2019 Sustainability Plan further expands the company’s support for local communities’ small farms and producers who grow food for Centara hotels and resorts in their area.

The company attributes much of its carbon footprint reduction to making approximately 70% of total produce purchases from local sources. Beyond the economic benefits to the community, expanding farm-to-table dining enables each property to provide the freshest available food items to guests.

The company’s ongoing engagement with EarthCheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, continues to yield consequential improvements in key sustainability metrics. To date, 15 Centara hotels and resorts have achieved EarthCheck certification and another four properties are enrolled in  EarthCheck’s Evaluate Plus program, leading to significant reductions in carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions across a number of Centara’s certified properties.

Most recently, the company’s leadership in environmental sustainability was recognized by the Stock Exchange of Thailand, which awarded Centara Hotels & Resorts (CENTEL) its “Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI)” designation, an annual recognition for listed companies that operate with responsibility for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects.

Further recognition for properties includes the “Green Hotel 2018 Award” from the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion at Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, awarded to Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin and Centra by Centara Maris Resort Jomtien.

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 68 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, China, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Centara’s portfolio comprises six brands – Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara, Centara Residences & Suites and COSI Hotels – ranging from 5-star city hotels and luxurious island retreats to family resorts and affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology.It also operates state-of-the-art convention centers and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara’s distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travelers of nearly every age and lifestyle.

Over the next five years Centara aims to double its size with additional properties in Thailand and new international markets, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company’s unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara’s global loyalty program, Centara The1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.

Find out more about Centara at www.CentaraHotelsResorts.com

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