A new World Bank Report has stated that Tanzania is one of six sub-Saharan countries expected to significantly expand their tourism industries and boost overall economic growth.
The report, Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods, looked at current trends in tourism in Africa as well as ways in which countries can expand the sector.
The report also said that 1 in 20 people in sub-Saharan Africa are directly or indirectly employed in the tourism sector, and that women represent a high number of employees and managers.
The success of Tanzania’s tourism industry was attributed to its simplified tourism policies, liberalized air transport, and measures in place to protect the country’s cultural and environmental diversity.
The latest data on Tanzania reported that the number of tourists who visited the country in 2011 increased 24% by 2012; from about 870,000 to 1.08 million, respectively.
According to the report and Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa, the tourism industry in Africa is advised to work in close alliance with the private sector to, “create better transport, electricity, infrastructure, and other key services to develop tourism for more broad-based growth and improved livelihoods.”
