 Promoting
global understanding through tourism
By Elisha Mayallah
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, on behalf of the Government of
Tanzania hosted the second International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT)
in partnership with The Africa Travel Association (ATA) December last year.
The week-long meeting, attended by more than 350 delegates from 25 countries,
confirmed that tourism can be a vital force in promoting peace and reduction of
poverty.
According to Ms. Liz Smith, conference coordinator, delegates at the conference
on tourism recognized that travel and tourism is the World's largest industry
with global revenues accounting to over 10% of World Gross National Product
(GNP)
The conference, held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam, brought
together senior African executives from both the public and private sectors of
tourism, donor agencies, representatives from members of diplomatic mission,
NGO's, educators, policy makers, leading practitioners, entrepreneurs and senior
representatives of related sectors including environment, culture and economic
development.
Tanzania, where tourism accounts for nearly 16 per cent of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and about 25 per cent of total export earnings, was cited by many
as a symbol of the importance of tourism for the continent's economies. In 2002,
tourism industry in Tanzania directly supported over 157,200 jobs and foreign
earnings grew from US$ 259.4 million in 1995 to US$ 730 million.
It was further revealed that the growth in travel to Africa in the last ten
years has exceeded the World's average growth rate in tourism. And the World
Tourism Organization (WTO) has forecasted continuing growth in the tourism
sector to the year 2020, with South Africa leading with a growth of nearly 20
per cent yearly.
Following the theme of the conference, which focused on community tourism as a
gateway to poverty reduction, the delegates unanimously identified the Mwalimu
Nyerere Foundation (MNF) and IIPT to bring together Ministers from Sub-Saharan
African nations for a symposium on healing the wounds of conflict through
tourism.
During the conference, conflicts were noted as impediments in achieving poverty
reduction in Africa. The Executive Director of Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, Mr.
Joseph Butiku highlighted the potential power of travel and tourism as a means
of reconciliation.
And so much so, tourism is a global facility for promoting understanding, trust
and goodwill among people of the World.
MNF is an organization dedicated to preserving ideals of the founding president
of United Republic of Tanzania, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and IIPT is a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering and promoting tourism
initiatives which contribute to international understanding, an improved quality
of environment, preserving heritage, and through these initiatives, help to
bring about a peaceful and sustainable World.
Among the notable action agenda adopted after the conference, was the
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), featured as a key tool for
sharing knowledge, experience, information, promotion of tourism, educating
travellers and buyers on the vast tourism attraction available in Africa.
The conference also resolved to recognize Bagamoyo, which is already approved as
a World Heritage Site, as part of the IIPT's global Peace Parks Project. The
International Cultural Centre of Tanzania and the IIPT will dedicate a land of
about 800 acres for the IIPT international Peace Park in Bagamoyo.
Historically, Bagamoyo remains to be one of the notable places in Tanzania's
history. It was the stopping centre for the Arab slavers and their porters.
Famous early explorers and missionaries to East and Central Africa usually
started and ended their journeys at Bagamoyo. Bagamoyo is said to mean: "Here I
lay down my heart", a cry of despair of slaves before they were forced aboard
vessels for their trip into captivity.
Economically, the tourism industry is important for the future of the continent
and the World Travel and Tourism (WTTC) has forecasted tourism will be a
significant driver of the African economy accounting for 11 per cent of Gross
Domestic Products (GDP). And for many Least Developed Countries (LDC's), tourism
is one of the major contributors to Gross National Products (GNP), investments,
employment and foreign exchange.
The conference was sponsored by, among others, the Development Bank of Southern
Africa (DBSA), Reed Travel Exhibitions, American Express and the US Embassy. The
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Authority (NCAA) and Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) formed part of the local
sponsors.
E-mail contact:
ermayallah@yahoo.com
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