JCI-UDSM’s MISSION TO PROMOTE DOMESTIC TOURISM IN TANZANIA
Tanzania has over 15 national parks and game reserves. There are many attractive mountain sceneries and many other tourist attractions. Despite all these recreation and tourist attractions, very few Tanzanians take part in touring them. Most Tanzanians take it as if its only foreigners who have to visit and enjoy them. This is probably due to lack of knowledge on these attractions and the benefits they could get from touring these sites.
It is time for the Tanzanians to develop the habit of touring and being proud of their national parks and other attractions like Mount Kilimanjaro and other beautiful, attractive sceneries. Apart from enjoying the beautiful attractions of Tanzania, this is a way to raise and increase the earnings from the tourism sector for the government, and improve the economy. In order to enjoy all these benefits, Tanzanians have to be domestic tourists.
JCI-UDSM has started a mission to inspire Tanzanians, starting from the higher education institutions, to be domestic tourists. This mission starts right at the university of Dar es Salaam community. From here JCI-UDSM will take the mission to other higher education institutions in Dar es Salaam by first helping them establish JCI local organizations at their particular institution and cooperate with JCI-UDSM to promote tourism in their institutions. After this initial stage of the mission is achieved, JCI will spread it across other universities in Tanzania, secondary schools and ultimately the whole nation.
JCI will reach students all over Tanzania by different means; for example, through different events like sports competitions, debates and student concerts. These will be held at different places depending on the target groups on the particular time. That means, events may be held in the lake zone to include all institutions in that area, or in Dar s Salaam to involve all institutions here. In these events different messages of the mission and sponsors will be displayed via T-Shirts, brochures, posters and other advertising materials.
Again JCI will use different films, cinema shows and performances within the universities to inspire and encourage more people to support domestic tourism.
In this mission, JCI-UDSM will use the following slogans to motivate people;
“COME, LET’S BUILD THE TANZANIA TOURISM FAMILY” and “WE ARE PROUD OF WHAT WE HAVE, SO LET’S TOUR TANZANIA”
In trying to bring this to reality, JCI-UDSM will work hand in hand with concerned boards and organizations. These include Travel Partner Limited (Travel Agents), Zoology and Wildlife Conservation Department of the University of Dar es Salaam, the Ministry for Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania Tourist Board, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Ngorongoro Conservation area, other sponsors, and to a large extent the media. JCI will try to arrange with the media to get some air time in TV and radio programs to reach as many Tanzanians as possible. By the help of different TV and radio stations, news papers JCIs mission will reach almost all Tanzanians all over the country. JCI-UDSM is consulting media companies like IPP Media, TBC, Mwananchi Communications, Global Publishers, and the like, to get the media support to make the mission successful.
JCI’s biggest challenge in this mission lies in the Financial Ability of Tanzanians. It is very obvious that the costs of touring the attraction sites, for example national parks, are very high. Fees, meals, accommodation and transport are such a discouraging factor to the Tanzanians who, as it is the fact, are relatively very low income earners.
In trying to combat this obstacle, JCI will hold discussions and negotiations with the concerned stakeholders to see to it that costs are reduced to at least an affordable rate so that more Tanzanians are encouraged to proudly being part of the Tourism Family. JCI will try to negotiate with the concerned authorities to see that reasonable and affordable prices/ rates are charged to students and citizens.
BENEFITS IN THE NEAR FUTURE
JCI’s project/ mission to promote local/domestic tourism, is expected to be successful and spread throughout Tanzania within five years to come. By then it will have been an active program in almost every part of Tanzania from primary schools to universities, different organizations or work places and it will have inspired and raised interests of countless Tanzanians.
To the government, the earnings from the tourism sector will increase tremendously. The sector will not be depending on foreigners to raise revenue, but to a very large extent, the sector will also be depending on Tanzanians to raise revenue from the sector.
To the tourism agents, boards and authorities; they will be more familiar to the public, Tanzanians, as they will be broadcasted in the process. The market for tourism and tourist activities will grow tremendously and in that way assuring them profitable day to day business operations.
To the society at large; this mission will raise in many Tanzanians the pride of having the best attractive sites and tourism environment in the world and this will help them form the Tanzania Tourism Family. The public will also enjoy considerable opportunities including fairly lower rates of touring the sites and other benefits from the grown tourism industry.
BENEFITS TO THE SPONSORS
i. Publicity; Sponsors will be unveiled to the public in the process through different adverts, posters and the media. The project intends to involve the mass media in order to reach as many Tanzanians possible. In this way the goodwill of the sponsors will be built all over the country and the neighbouring countries.
ii. Close relationship between the sponsors and JCI network. As JCI grows, partnership will be built with the sponsors. In this way sponsors will be able to expand the market for their services internationally as JCI operates all over the world.
iii. Tourism agents and partners will win recognition of the government and national tourism boards in prompting tourism in Tanzania.
iv. Sponsors will be able to promote themselves through promotional materials at the University and in the event of the trip. This will include promotion through posters, T-Shirts and promo videos if available. They will be able to make direct interaction with student participants where they will demonstrate their products and services.
