Browsing: World Heritage Site

ngorongoro crater
  • The number of tourists visiting Tanzania has significantly increased, especially visitors to the globally famous caldera, the Ngorongoro Crater.
  • Over half a million tourists visited the East African country in the first half of the 2023/24 year.
  • Authorities have managed to control poaching in the renowned UNESCO Heritage site, Ngorongoro Crater, a top tourist destination.

The number of tourists visiting Tanzania has significantly increased, especially visitors to the globally famous caldera, the Ngorongoro Crater.

This 2000-foot-deep caldera was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago. Over the years, the crater has become a tourism sensation, attracting thousands yearly.

From the famed lions that climb trees to the sheer size of the crater and the lakes inside it, the grazing herbivores on its slopes, wildebeests, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, name it, all the big five are to be found in and around …

Tanzania Vice-President Philip Mpango opens 6th Swahili International Tourism Expo (S!TE) to promote Tanzania tourism. Photo/Twitter@dr_mpango

According to the 2022 National Tourism Survey, tourism earnings in Tanzania have shown positive comeback post Covid-19.

The figures indicate a good recovery trajectory with data showing that the sector is up 83% having earned an impressive 1.4 billion USD and tourist receipts of 922,692 which represents an increase of about 48.6% compared to the 2020 performance.

According to the Tanzania National Five Year Development Plan 2021/2022-2025/2026, the country targets to attract 5 million tourists and garner revenues of US$ 6 billion.

The tourism sector contributes to the country’s GDP by an impressive 17%, and its contribution to foreign exchange earnings is more than a quarter (25 percent) of the country’s total foreign exchange earnings.…

Lions at the Serengeti National Park. Tanzania is not taking advantage of teh park's popularity to increase revenues. www.theexchange.africa

serengeti23

For the third year in a row, Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park has been crowned the ‘Best National Park in Africa.’

Impressive and commendable, but is Tanzania capitalizing on this accreditation?

The World Travel Awards (WTA) have recognized ‘the cradle of mankind’ as Africa’s top tourist destination. Tanzania, as a country, was voted the top tourist destination. To put it in WTA’s words; “Tanzania – with its national parks, wildlife and palm-fringed beaches – was voted Africa’s Leading Destination…”

Such accolades should translate to having tourists visiting the park increase every year compared to other national parks on the continent and by default, it should equally mean pocketing much more tourism revenues.

That is however not the case. If we leave out Egypt which, despite being on the continent is actually considered a Middle Eastern region per the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization, the crown for receiving the largest number of …