Tanzania rolls out major destination-marketing onslaught

Tanzania tour operators will embark on executing a strategic destination-marketing blitz in the middle of this month.

Under the auspices of Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), through United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) support, among other initiatives, this will endeavor to recoup the multi-billion-dollars tourism industry. The marketing plan will deploy a high-profile delegation led by TATO board member and Tourism Reboot Chairlady, Ms. Vesna Glamočanin Tibaijuka, and TATO CEO, Mr. Sirili Akkom to market Tanzania to Scandinavian countries.

In the just ended TATO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), members have unanimously resolved to put more energy towards the destination marketing for this year.

The tour operators agreed to redouble their efforts in international marketing campaigns in order to attract more foreign tourists in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, to compliment the President H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to promote destination Tanzania.

“After the successful campaign in the North American market, the next target for 2023 is Europe especially Scandinavian countries, where TATO management in response to member’s directives plans to launch a destination-marketing blitz at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair slated for early 2023,” Mr. Akko said.

Matka Nordic Travel Fair takes place in Helsinki, Finland, between January 19 and 22, 2023, and is held at Messukeskus, Expo and Convention Centre. On January 20, 2023, there will be a special presentation for the travel trade and the public titled “Tanzania Unforgettable, not only the Land of Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Zanzibar … Come See it for Yourself!”

The Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the biggest travel fair in northern Europe and the best setting where to get contacts from the Nordic countries and the Baltic region.

The Nordic countries are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and the autonomous region of the Åland Islands.

The event isn’t only the ideal platform where to meet and network other professionals of the travel and tourism industry, but also the place where participants present their new products and services to a specialized audience of traders.

“We are focusing on source markets which respond swiftly to our campaign and have shown some resilience against challenging moments the world is experiencing,” said TATO CEO, Mr. Akko.

TATO is banking on its new international market strategy to drive upwards the tourism numbers and revenue next year.

The TATO strategy, apart from Scandinavian countries, targets emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Turkey, Brazil, China and the Gulf States in its list for aggressive marketing and promotion for 2023.

Through the new international marketing blueprint, it is estimated that the number of tourist arrivals in Tanzania will hit 1.2 million come 2023, up from over 700,000 visitors in 2022.

Mr. Akko said TATO is heavily indebted to the UNDP for supporting tour operator’s efforts to diversify their marketing strategies to woo more visitors and increase tourism numbers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With its members controlling over 80% of Tanzania’s tourism market share, TATO is a leading advocacy agency for the tourism industry, earning roughly $2.6 billion per year for the economy, equivalent to 17% of the country’s GDP.

TATO also plays a role in connecting businesses and individuals within the trade to facilitate knowledge sharing, best practices, trade and networking along the industry value chain.