Council, AICC concerned about Arusha’s future
by Staff Writer
As more high class hotels equipped with modern conference facilities are established in various major towns of Tanzania, Arusha’s position as the centre for local and international conferences is being threatened.
This was top in the agenda of a meeting between the Management of Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) and members of the Municipal Council’s Finance Committee who visited the country’s biggest meeting centre early this week.
The AICC conferences and marketing manager, James Mgani said the centre nowadays has to work much harder to get the same number of conferences it attracted easily, a few years ago.
Acting Managing Director of AICC, Elishilia Kaaya said his management has seen the need to strike a mutual partnership deal with the Arusha Municipal Council, to formulate a strategy to make Arusha live up to its newly acquired marketing label of “Geneva of Africa”.
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The Management of the AICC and leaders of the Arusha Municipal Council met last week to work out a strategy to develop Arusha as a tourist and convention destination. From right to left is the Mayor of Arusha, His Worship Paul Lotta Laizer, AICC Acting Managing Director, Elishilia Kaaya and the recently re-elected Deputy Mayor, Retired Major Alhaj Mohammed Mollel. (Photo by Raymond John) |
According to Kaaya, AICC hardly benefits from the conferences despite being Arusha’s flagship bearer.
The acting director said although for the past 11 years the AICC has brought to Arusha 1,454 meetings, 572 of them being international, the centre has earned only about USD 880,000 for the whole period.
However, according to Kaaya, the local community of Arusha highly benefits from the economic spill over brought by the conference delegates.
Minimum hotel income generated from sales of accommodation and meals to conference delegates is estimated to average at USD 3.2 Million per year.
Airport departure taxes for international delegates also adds up to about 86,720 US Dollars per year.
Between 1990-2000, AICC has attracted a total of 119,236 delegates which is an average of 10,840 delegates per year.
This, according to Kaaya has a very big economic impact to the community of Arusha because these people eat, sleep, shop and tour the Arusha region.
To achieve this however, AICC has been using an average of US Dollars 46,000 per year in promotional activities and a total of about US Dollars 357,492 (Tsh.321,742,800) for updating their conference facilities.
During the recent meeting with the Municipal Council, the AICC management pointed out that similar conference centres worldwide whether private or state owned, received subsidies from local (municipal) or Central Government to increase their capacities to bring more delegates to their destination.
AICC however, does not receive such benefits but according to the acting director, it is the management expectations to obtain maximum support from both the council and other relevant bodies with a vision of making Arusha the best “congress tourism” destination in Africa.
Speaking of the threat posed by mushrooming hotels elsewhere, the meeting agreed that Arusha still had one triumph card which is the local tourism attractions that other major towns lack.
Capitalizing on this factor, and the joint strategy between the council and AICC in creating an attractive Arusha town may also pay dividends according to the meeting.
The meeting was attended by among other people, municipal mayor Paul Lotta Laizer, hid deputy, Mohammed Mollel, municipal director Noah Mwaikuka and various ward officers.
Apart from director Kaaya and manager Mgani, AICC management team also included the personnel and administrative manager, Francis Kulwa, Public relations officer, Beth Luzuka and various senior staff members.
