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Outbound
Tanzania to tap Indian outbound
Organises first FAM trip to Tanzania to stimulate awareness
Sanjay Yalavatti - Dar Es Salaam
Jilesh Babla |
Seeking to tap the lucrative Indian outbound tourist market,
the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) along with private local operators recently
invited a delegation comprising Indian tour operators, agents and the media
on a familiarisation trip to Tanzania. The primary aim of the trip was to initiate
awareness about Tanzania (which includes the island of Zanzibar) as an appealing
tourism destination for Indians. The initiative to organise this trip was taken
by Krishna Agencies' CEO, Jilesh Babla, a Tanzanian citizen of Indian origin
currently residing in India. Convinced about the potential, Babla said that
despite being a very attractive destination, it is unfortunate that Tanzania
has hardly been marketed to the Indian tourist.
In order to move promotions to a higher gear, a public-private
partnership was initiated between the TTB and interested private Tanzanian operators
like Winglink Travel and Bushbuck Safaris, and hotel chains like Sopa Lodges,
Planhotel, and Wellworth Group, to provide the required support for the trip.
In India, Krishna Agencies partnered with Island Holidays and Harshil Holidays
as primary promoters.
"The idea was to bring tour operators, agencies and
the media from India to Tanzania, to show first-hand what Tanzania has to offer
and also interact with counterparts, for everybody to gain a better understanding
of the overall market potential," states Babla.
According to Faiza Punja, managing partner, Winglink Travel,
"Given that Indians now contribute a lot to the tourism industry around
the world, when approached with the idea of tapping the Indian market, we were
very interested in participating in this venture."
Welcoming India: (L-R) Ali Amour - ZATO; Faiza Punja - Winglink
Travel; Ibrahim Mussa - Tanzania Tourist Board and Mustafa
Panju - Bushbuck Safaris |
Pledging his support too, Mustafa Panju, MD, Bushbuck Safaris
affirms, "Tanzania is a beautiful country, and it has whatever a tourist
will want - wildlife, beaches, culture, history, etc. The right partnerships
with the right people are crucial and with all of us working in a coordinated
way, I am confident that we will be able to attract the Indian market."
The delegates were given a tour of the national wildlife reserves of Tarangire,
Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, and the island of Zanzibar. At Dar es Salaam,
an official reception was organised for the Indian delegation to network and
exchange ideas with all interested parties. The delegation also held discussions
with the High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, K V Bhagirath, at his residence.
Finding the concept of promoting Tanzania very interesting,
Kumar Gaurav, promoter, Island Holidays states, "I have always liked destinations
that are off the beaten track. So when we were initially discussing promoting
Tanzania, I was all for it. And after this trip, I am convinced it's going to
be a great experience marketing this destination."
Speaking about the immediate outcome of the trip, Babla says,
"Initially, many were sceptical, and did not show much enthusiasm. However,
in just a few days after the trip, I have already received multiple expressions
of interest in partnering with us to tap the Indian market. As a result of this
trip and by being able to bring a together group of service providers in Tanzania,
we have also been able to get special promotional rates for the Indian market."
"So far there had been a complete curtain between the
Tanzanian and Indian tourism operators. There is more awareness now at both
ends, and we now know what is required to make this a success," adds Aman
Bhatia, partner, Island Holidays.
Acknowledging the support they have received in making this
initiative a success, Babla says, "The TTB, particularly managing director
Peter Mwenguo and marketing director Amant Macha, have been very supportive
from the outset, and have even signed an official MoU with us to this extent.
And thankfully, there were others in the private sector that believed in the
concept and were willing to explore the idea." "This is just the beginning.
We hope to have at least 15,000 tourists travelling to Tanzania between now
and December 2010," he declares.
The Indian delegation on the FAM trip to Tanzania |
Encountering Masai tribesmen at the Ngorongoro crater rim en route the
wildlife safari |
Reviewing the experience at a local press conference at the office of
Bushbuck Safaris, the organisers of the safari |
Presenting the Tanzania Tourist Board
officials with Tanzania promotional merchandise specially developed for
promotion in India |
Meeting with K V Bhagirath, High Commissioner of India to Tanzania |
Planting a tree on behalf of the Indian
delegation at the Kunduchi Beach Resort, Dar es Salaam |
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