ARUSHA TOUR FIRM CEO APPOINTED BRAZIL HONORARY CONSUL

BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA

An Arusha-based tour firm chief executive officer Ms Mozzah Mauly has been appointed Honorary Consul for Brazil.

Ms Mauly will represent Brazil's diplomatic activities in the northern regions of  Arusha, Manyara and Kilimanjaro.

The tour company CEO has also been assigned to represent the economic giant of South America as Honorary Consul in Mwanza and other regions in the Lake zone.

The appointment of Ms Mauly, who is the director of Mauly Tours and Safaris, was announced here at the weekend.

Brazil envoy to Tanzania Antonio Augusto Martins Cesar handed over a certificate to her to symbolize her new role.

A Honorary consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another state.

He or her main activities are to assist and protect the citizens of the country which he or she represents.

Such tasks hinge mainly on trade facilitation, culture and friendship between the people of the two countries.

Little is known that a Honorary Consul is just like an Ambassador and a career diplomat in the way the Consul discharges his/her duties.

Honorary Consuls may be local people of the host country -as is the case with Ms Mauly - but can be people of the represented country or any other nationality.

Although Tanzania and Brazil established diplomatic relations in 1970, it was not until 1979 that Brazil opened its embassy in Dar es Salaam.

However, the diplomatic mission in Dar was closed in 1991 due to budget restraints but reopened in March 2005.

Two years later (in 2007), Tanzania opened a resident embassy in Brasilia which has since then operated fully, covering other countries in Latin America.

Speaking after her appointment, Ms Mauly promised to work tirelessly in promoting the country's tourist attractions to investors and visitors alike from Brazil.

She specifically cited the world famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as among the destinations she will market.

Mauly Tours and Safaris was founded in 1983 catering the wildlife safaris, beach tours and Kilimanjaro mountain treks to visitors from around the world.

In recent years, the company has been active in bringing tourists from Israel and non-traditional source markets in eastern Europe.