TNBP

.6 Million Tourists Expected By 2025

2016-09-07T06:42:29Z

The international tourist arrivals to Tanzania are forecast to total 1,632,000 by 2025, generating revenues of 5.702tri/- representing an increase of 5.8 per cent per annum.

Travelport President and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Travelport, Rabih Saab, said there are positive prospects and huge potential in the tourism sector to increase its contribution to economic growth.

He said Travelport's strategy is to support the growth of their travel agency business partners in Tanzania through defining technology. "Travelport is committed to support the country's travel and tourism industries drive and growth through leveraging our travel commerce platform which is redefining travel commerce," he said.

Travelport is one of the leading Travel Commerce Platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for global travel and tourism industry.

Travelport and TP Services have signed an agreement to boost the travel industry in Tanzania with expectation to generate almost 12 per cent employment opportunities and increase tourist arrivals by 2025.

He added, "We are confident TP Services will strengthen and invigorate our business partnerships in Tanzania as they herald a new era of Travelport operations in Tanzania," TP Services Country Manager, Sarfarazali Chagani, is responsible for the delivery of the full range of Travelport content, products and technology in Tanzania.

TP Services has laid out plans to heighten travel agent experience and satisfaction of Travelport's technology by offering enhanced service support and tailored product recommendations for local travel agencies. Under the agreement, TP Services will distribute Travelport's unrivaled content including fares from approximately 400 airlines globally, branded fares and ancillaries as well as over 650,000 unique hotels properties worldwide fully bookable in Travelport's travel commerce platform.

"Travelport has all the right tools, as well as unrivaled leading content to support the development of Tanzania's travel industry and deliver cutting edge solutions to local travel agencies to grow their businesses.

Travelport is redefining travel commerce, investing over 830 million US dollars since 2012 in new technology with a clear focus on redefining travel commerce and TP Services is here to champion it amongst Tanzanian travellers.

With this in mind, we are very much looking forward to the new opportunities ahead of Travelport and for the entire travel industry in Tanzania," Chagani said at the signing of the agreement between the two agencies

Retail, Wholesale Price for Fuel Spirals Down

2016-09-07T06:39:58Z

Retail prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene have been reduced by 3.43 per cent, 3.50 per cent and 4.88 per cent respectively, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), announced yesterday.

Likewise, wholesale prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene have decreased by 3.63 per cent, 3.72 per cent and 5.20 per cent respectively.

A statement issued in Dar es Salaam by the EWURA Director General, Mr Felix Ngamlagosi, cited the slight decrease in world market prices for fuel as well as the decrease in freight and premium charges as the main contributing factors.

The retail and wholesale prices are applicable effective today in all Tanzania Mainland regions, except Tanga. Retail and wholesale prices of petrol and diesel for Tanga Region have increased compared with prices in the publication of August 3.

Retail prices for petrol and diesel have increased by 2.64 per cent and 1.03 per cent respectively. Likewise, wholesale prices for petrol and diesel have increased by 2.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.

According to the DG, the slight increases of both petrol and diesel prices in Tanga have mainly been contributed by receipt of new products (petrol and diesel) in August 2016, which was to be received in July 2016.

Another reason is late arrival of the ship, which was expected to discharge such fuel products in Tanga within August 2016 but instead shifted to September 2016. "These cap prices can be accessed through mobile phones by dialling *152*00# and then follow provided instructions.

This service is free of charge and is available at all mobile phone service providers in the country," the EWURA statement said. In line with the prevailing sector legislation (Petroleum Act, 2015, Section 166), prices of petroleum products are governed by rules of demand and supply.

The regulator affirmed in the statement that it will continue to encourage competition in the sector by making available pricing information for petroleum products, including price caps.

Such information on prices is intended to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions on petroleum prices at any particular time. It further read that the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) were free to sell their products at a price that gives them a competitive advantage, provided that such price does not exceed the price cap for the relevant product as was computed using the approved formula - which was gazetted through the Government Notice No. 70 published on February 12, 2016.

EWURA insisted that all petrol stations should publish petroleum product prices on clearly visible boards and price boards should be clearly visible and should clearly show prices charged, discounts offered as well as any trade incentives or promotions on offer. "Consumers are advised to purchase from stations that sell products at the most competitive prices.

It is an offence not to have prices published on boards located in clearly visible places in front of petrol stations and it will attract punitive measures from EWURA," the statement read in part.

According to the statement, retailers must issue receipts with respect to all sales that they make and consumers are required to demand and keep receipts that clearly show the name of petrol station, date on which such purchase was made as well as the type of fuel and price per litre for every purchase they make.

New Magomeni Kota Deal Sealed

2016-09-07T06:37:03Z

The government yesterday announced its decision to construct new structures to accommodate over 600 former tenants at Magomeni Kota in Dar es Salaam who were evicted more than five years ago to allow construction of modern residential buildings.

It is a climax to the prolonged wrangle between the tenants and Kinondoni Municipal Council that resulted from the breach of their agreements. According to the agreement, the ex-tenants were required to vacate the area to pave way for the construction of modern residential structures.

Furthermore, the council is obliged to pay rent to each tenant for one year after which the tenants could move to the new structures as owners or tenants on completion of construction work.

Speaking to the ex-tenants and other residents in Dar es Salaam yesterday, President John Magufuli said that upon completion of the buildings, the 644 tenants will move to the new structures and stay for free for five years as compensation while the government will be working on modalities of selling the houses to them. The president assured the residents that he will disburse funds this month for the construction work to begin in the next two months.

"Give us time to decide whether the structures should be built by the Tanzania Building Agency (TBA) or National Housing Corporation (NHC)," the president said.

He directed the contractor who will be awarded the tender of building the houses to complete the work as soon as possible to allow the tenants to move to the new buildings. "I am giving you one year to complete this work ... although you can do it even in less than one year.

If we have managed to build 20 flats with four floors each at the University of Dar es Salaam within six months to accommodate over 4,000 students why not the construction of these residential buildings," Dr Magufuli insisted.

He said the government decided to intervene over the dispute, which lasted for many years without getting a proper solution, causing anguish among 644 former tenants who have been fighting for their rights.

"These people were evicted to allow the construction of multi-purpose complex structures. But many years have gone without any development. As a result, this area has been turned into a parking lot. And worse enough, plans were underway to sell it to an investor," President Magufuli remarked.

He added: "This is unfair. Where should these people go? I will make sure that what has happened here will not occur in other areas.

This is why we have decided that these plots and others in 20 regions should be administered by the central government."

Reading a speech on behalf of ex-Magomeni Kota tenants, Reverend John Raymond informed the president that failure by Kinondoni Municipal Council to fulfil their agreement has caused a lot of inconveniences and even deaths to some tenants who could not bear with the situation.

"We agreed to vacate the area since 2012 to allow construction of modern structures but until today, the Kinondoni Municipal Council has done nothing.

As a result, we have been turned into refugees in our own land ... most of us were government employees but we could not manage to build our own houses due to limited income," he noted. Rev Raymond called upon the government to build houses which will be affordable to them to enable each tenant to a new structure.

The Minister for Lands, Housing and Human settlement Development, Mr William Lukuvi, said that he had already fulfilled the government's directives, which required all housing units that were being administered by local government authorities to revert to the central government's jurisdiction.

"We have revoked the ownership of these three plots of Magomeni Kota with 33 hectares and others in 20 regions.

Therefore, they are currently under the central government ... we are ready to fulfil all directives by the president regarding the use of all the plots," Mr Lukuvi pledged.

The government, through the Government Notice Number 323 of August 9, 1991, authorised local government authorities in 20 regions to take over housing units previously under the NHC on grounds of redeveloping the structures.

Meanwhile, President Magufuli has given a seven-day ultimatum to all government institutions and ministries to clear their debts with the NHC before they are evicted.

He said that NHC needs money to implement more projects to curb the shortage of houses in the country and hence would fail to fulfil its mission if it will not collect due rent.

"I commend NHC for its recent move to evict rent defaulters ... this should also apply to all people regardless of their status. Whether a president or minister; evict them from the buildings if they fail to pay rent," Dr Magufuli insisted.

Kiswahili International. Utalii Expo (S! TE) kamati ya maandalizi ina mkutano wake wa kwanza katika makao makuu Bodi ya Utalii Tanzania ambao majukumu

2016-09-02T06:06:45Z

By Mheshimiwa G.Tengeneza (TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD)

Kiswahili International. Utalii Expo (S! TE) kamati ya maandalizi ina mkutano wake wa kwanza katika makao makuu Bodi ya Utalii Tanzania ambao majukumu ya kamati ndogo ya pamoja na wadau zilianzishwa na kujadiliwa.

Mkutano huo ulihudhuriwa na wajumbe kutoka taasisi mbalimbali kuchukuliwa kwa wadau kwamba wana majukumu muhimu katika jukumu la kufanya tukio mafanikio. wajumbe wa kamati walihudhuria mkutano walikuwa kutoka. Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Ofisi ya Rais, Mamlaka ya Mapato Tanzania, idara ya Uhamiaji, Polisi, Utalii Shirikisho la Tanzania (TCT), Hotel Keepers Chama cha Tanzania, Manispaa ya Kinondoni, Dar es Salaam Halmashauri ya Jiji na jeshi Bodi ya Utalii Tanzania.

expo ambayo ni uratibu na Bodi ya Utalii Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na Pure Grit mradi na Maonyesho Management Company kutoka Afrika Kusini ni umepangwa kufanyika Mlimani City jijini Dar es Salaam kutoka Oktoba 1-4 mwaka huu na unatarajiwa kuteka idadi nzuri ya washiriki kutoka duniani kote.

S! TE dhahiri kuwa jukwaa kipekee kwa wadau wa utalii Tanzania kutafuta soko la nchi kama marudio ya utalii pamoja na kukuza bidhaa zao na huduma za kimataifa.

1 Kaimu Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Bodi ya Utalii Tanzania (TTB), Devotha Mdachi akifungua 1 National S TE Mkutano wa Kamati! Ambayo uliofanyika katika TTB Makao makuu.

TTB ya Utalii na Huduma Meneja, Mheshimiwa Phillip Chitaunga kama Mratibu wa S! TE Tanzania kufafanua baadhi ya masuala kwa wanachama wakati wa mkutano wa kamati S! TE. - Katika TTB ya bodi chumba.

Miongoni mwa wadau wengine utalii, Lathifa k. Sykes, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Hotel Keepers Association (HAT) kuchangia baadhi ya mawazo wakati wa mkutano.

The Swahili International. Tourism Expo (SITE)

2016-09-02T06:08:03Z

By Mr. G.Tengeneza (TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD)

The Swahili International. Tourism Expo (S!TE) preparatory committee has held its first meeting at the Tanzania Tourist Board headquarters in which the roles of sub-committees and stakeholders were established and discussed.

The meeting was attended by delegates from different institutions considered to stakeholders that have significant roles to play in making the event a success. The committee members attended the meeting were from. Regional Commissioner Office, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Immigration department, Police, Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT), Hotel Keepers Association of Tanzania , Kinondoni Municipal, Dar es Salaam City Council and the host the Tanzania Tourist Board.

The expo which is coordinated by the Tanzania Tourist Board in collaboration with Pure Grit project and Exhibition Management Company from South Africa is scheduled to take place at Mlimani City in Dar es Salaam from 1st to 4th October this year and is expected to draw a good number of exhibitors from all over the world.

The S!TE will definitely be a unique platform for Tanzania tourism stakeholders to market a country as a tourism destination as well as promoting their products and services international.

1 The Acting Managing Director of Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Devota Mdachi opening the 1st National S!TE Committee Meeting which held at TTB Headquarter.

The TTB's Tourism and Service Manager, Mr. Phillip Chitaunga as a Coordinator of S!TE Tanzania elaborating some issues to the members during the of S!TE committee meeting. — at TTB's board room.

Among the other tourism stakeholder, Lathifa k. Sykes, the CEO of the Hotel Keepers Association (HAT) contributing some ideas during the meeting.

A Few Words About Travel Agents & The Internet

2016-05-12T14:26:42Z

I love Tanzania Safari blog works closely with the finest travel agents around the world. We recognize travel agents as our partners and feel they offer an invaluable service to the traveler.

A qualified agent can assist you in making sure that your trip runs smoothly. Conference calls are encouraged between agents, the traveller and an I love Tanzania Safari blog customer service representative.

The Internet has a wealth of information on Africa, but buying directly from the internet can be a blind purchase, as it does not council you on reliability and dependability. Use the internet to gather ideas and your preferences, then take this to your agent or I love Tanzania Safari blog customer service representative.

Moreover should you book your trip via the internet, first contact the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and inquire about the Tanzania tour operator's intergrity.

Posted by Peter Temu at 11:17 PM
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Is It Safe To Travel In Tanzania? by I love Tanzania Safari blog

Is It Safe To Travel In Tanzania by I love Tanzania blog.

The continent of Africa is large continent consisting of fifty-four countries with totally unrelated political systems over 11,700,000 square miles. What happens in one country, even a bordering country does not necessarily affect the other.

Think of it this way – if something happened in Greece, would that affect your travel plans to England or Italy? There are certain inherent risks whenever one travelers, but chances of being involved in an incident are very small. Tanzania is considered to be one of the safest countries to travel to in Africa.

It has enjoyed peace and tranquility since Unification in 1964. With country specific risks out of the question in Tanzania, the only safetly concerns may be emergencies usually brought forth by health issues (on a case by case basis) that rarely occur.

Our emergency air evacuation covered by your travel insurance policy will bring you to safety within hours. We are in constant contact with our offices and continually monitor any situations that might occur.

All of our safari vehicles are equipped with emergency telephones. If you have any questions at anytime regarding your travel plans, do not hesitate to contact us. Your safety and comfort in traveling to Tanzania is our foremost concern.

What Can Be Expected While On Safari?
A warm and friendly welcome by the local people, no humidity, comfortable temperatures, a high degree of comfort, a variety of delicious food and exhausting but exhilarating days.

An average day begins at dawn with tea and a sunrise safari game drive. Back to the lodge for a wonderful breakfast with fresh baked breads, local coffee, and your choice of entrée. During the heat of the day when the wildlife is at rest you too may wish to relax around the pool.

In the afternoon when the wildlife again comes alive go out on an afternoon game drive. In certain areas full day game drives, a bush walk, night safari drive or other activity may be planned.

In the evening, everyone gathers to exchange stories of the bush while enjoying a beverages. Retire early, as tomorrow will bring…well we just don't know but we can assure you it will be exciting!

Open Government Partnership

2016-05-12T14:19:04Z

This year’s Open Government Partnership regional meeting for Africa was held last month in Dar es Salaam, under the theme “Enhancing Accountability through Open Governance”. The meeting included over 300 participants from across government, the private sector, civil society, academia and more, which brought a significant diversity of perspectives to the meeting. From the Liberian perspective- where we have faced challenges over time but have also made significant progress in building-out a 2nd implementation plan for the OGP- here are my four take-aways from Tanzania:

Set clear, achievable goals. Open government is a large, nebulous goal, and to make it actionable, countries need to narrow their focus. If the objectives are overly ambitious, promises will be left unfulfilled. Action plans should focus on areas where impact can easily be seen and are in line with the developments that citizens want to see. For example, in Liberia, as part of the 2nd action plan the Ministry of Information, Communications and Tourism (MICAT)- the lead agency on the OGP- and it’s civil society partners are focusing on citizen monitoring of the court system. Justice is a critical issue, and collecting information on the operation of the courts is a tangible and important step that will be welcomed by citizens.
Use people-centered technologies. Governments must tailor their information sharing strategies to the needs of the people they serve. We all know well that the world has become a global village as a result of improvements in technology. Citizens have become more engaged with their governments through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. In Tanzania, the government has created an open data portal(link is external) for information on government that citizens are using to improve their lives. Equally, however, low-tech tools should be used where access to the internet is still limited- as in Liberia. This is where efforts like the Daily Talk chalk billboards(link is external) are important- to reach citizens regardless of their access to the web or newspapers.
Ensure government ownership. The OGP is about creating a medium for citizens to better understand and assess the performance and impact of governance. For this to happen effectively, governments must take the lead in communicating with their citizenry on a constant basis and show that they are committed to the process. This builds trust and facilitates further reform, in a self-reinforcing cycle of openness. In Sierra Leone, for example, the government has established the position of director for the Open Government Partnership. Tanzania too has created a new position for an OGP focus person who works directly with the President’s office. These key contact points can coordinate efforts, ensure constant and harmonized communication and build momentum for the efforts to support transparency.
Collaborate and share ideas. No one country has the answers to open government; and the path taken by the West is understandably very different to that taken by OGP member countries in Africa. As a result, it is essential that African countries share ideas with each other and learn from the progress each is making in its own ways- both within governments but also across civil society. That is why the meeting in Tanzania was so important- I had the opportunity, for example, to learn from Ministers in Freetown about how they have coordinated across government on transparency issues; and to discuss options for transparency tools from civil society colleagues from Dar es Salaam. This is invaluable insight as we take the process forward in Liberia. At the Accountability Lab(link is external), we are also excited to use the new OGP Explorer- which brings together a wealth of data on the commitments, challenges and successes within the OGP- to see where Liberia measures up to other African countries and how we can learn from their progress to date.

Now that I have been back in Liberia for a few weeks and have had time to reflect on all of this, I am filled with a renewed sense of energy and excitement around the OGP process. We have a Minister who has demonstrated clear commitment to the initiative, and a group of civil society actors who are coming together in constructive ways to support open government. We will validate our new action plan soon and hope that at the next OGP meeting Liberia can be talked about as the pioneer of open government in Africa.

- See more at: http://www.opengovpartnership.org/blog/francis-lansana/2015/06/16/my-four-open-government-takeaways-tanzania#sthash.zEgWZd4R.dpuf