Tanzania to focus on MICE tourism

Arusha International Conference Center

Tanzania is plans to utilize the country’s positive features like favourable environment, good weather, good accommodation, modern meeting facilities and improved communication infrastructure to promote MICE tourism in the country.

“We are bringing together hoteliers, tour and travel agents as well as representatives from local and International Airlines to hatch new means of capitalizing on conference tourism,” said Devotha Mdachi, Director General of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).

“Leisure tourism is gradually being replaced by ‘working visits,’ where people travel not just to enjoy sceneries but also making use of the time in being productive away from office,”added  Mdachi.  She was speaking at a conference organized by TTB in association with African Tourism Partners (ATP).

Devotha Mdachi, Director General of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB)

Mdachi said TTB would set up a special branch, which would work to address the issue of promoting Tanzania’s conference tourism across the globe.

Last year Rwanda hosted 21 international conferences, while Tanzania had only eight of them. Mdachi said Tanzania could make better use of conferences in attracting visitors to the country.

As per records the United States leads in the number of visitors attending conferences, followed by Germany. South Africa tops the log on the African Continent.

“Our organization, which intends to work with TTB has realized that Tanzania is in the central position to be a hub of conference tourism in Africa,” said Kwachi Donkey, ATP chief executive officer.

Kisenga LAPF International Conference Center

“A visitor may come to Tanzania to see wildlife but make use of the chance to attend a meeting or vice versa,” he added.

Some of the delegates suggested that the tourist properties of the country, including those located in remote parks, to be fully connected with powerful internet services, in order to facilitate international events.