What a mismatch! The East African region receives only a fraction of global visitors despite having world acclaimed tourist attractions.
The region accounts for a mere 0.3 percent of the global tourism market while only eight percent of visitors to the African continent.
"The figures do not correspond well with the abundant tourist attractions in our region" the Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi said in Arusha on Monday.
He said when closing the East African Community (EAC) Regional Tourism Expo 2021 that the region has to be aggressively marketed to attract more and more visitors.
He said with the famed sites such as the Serengeti National Park, Mt. Kilimanjaro, fine beaches, spectacular wildlife migrations, the region's market share in global and Africa tourism was still small.
Prior to the outbreak of the global coronavirus in December 2019,the EA region received 6.9 million tourists but fell to 2.25 million last year due to the severe impact of Covid-19.
The Zanzibar leader said even without the pandemic the region was not getting its deserved share of the tourism market despite its rich ecological resources.
He challenged the governments of the six EAC partner states to mount aggressive marketing strategies so that the region can increase its share of global and continental tourism.
These he said would elevate the leading sector in foreign exchange generation to new heights that would sustain its contribution to the economies of the region.
Dr.Mwinyi told participants of the Expo at the TGT Grounds that tourism was a key component of the recently unveiled Zanzibar 'blue economy' strategy.
EAC director general of Customs and Trade Kenneth Bagamuhunda said the holding of the regional tourism Expo was long overdue.
He said although the decision to organize the show was taken in July, this year, it was on the verge of being postponed to next year due to a short time for preparations.
Tanzania intervened and decided to host the event at Arusha, the hub of the country's tourism industry and EAC headquarters..
He urged the public and private tourism agencies in the region to join efforts and promote EA as a premier tourist destination in the continent.
He said the EAC Regional Tourism Expo would from now on be held on rotational basis in the six EAC partner states; Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi Rwanda and South Sudan.
The second Expo will be held in Burundi at a date to be announced later.
Kenya Chief administrative Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Joseph |Bonnet said the tourism fair would complement efforts to battle Covid 19
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