Domestic tourism status in Tanzania: a case study of Tanzania national parks

Thesis

Although tourism is a major economic undertaking in the world, however, domestic tourism has not received adequate attention especially in many developing countries. This study focused on domestic tourism in Tanzania looking at issues relating to the promotion of domestic tourism. The study rationale is based on the fact that, despite Tanzania being recognized for its wildlife­ rich national parks for tourism, the majority of tourists are foreigners. Domestic tourism has received little attention. The study therefore, was designed to bridge this gap in knowledge by assessing the current status of domestic tourism. The overall aim of this study is to document means of improving domestic tourism in Tanzania as an alternative way of supporting the country’s National Parks as well as raising the level of conservation awareness of Tanzanians. The study used social surveys (questionnaires and interviews) as the main method of gathering information. Three National Parks that are close to each other were chosen for sampling as well as urban dwellers of two major urban centers close to these Parks. Five target groups living close to the Parks were surveyed, which included, primary school teachers, local community leaders, domestic tourists, urban dwellers and Parks officials. A total of 336 questionnaires were administered to these groups between June-August 2005. Field visits and interviews were conducted during the same period. The main findings of the study indicated that tourism policies needed harmonization to be in line with the prevailing situation. The results further showed that there is slow growth of domestic tourism in Tanzania. On the other hand there is reluctance by Tanzanians to pay Park entry fees. At the National and Park level, the study showed that the sources of public information were not fully utilized resulting in a weakness in domestic tourism promotion. Local communities leaders adjacent to the Parks studied valued their existence but were not ready to contribute to conservation. For the future the prevailing image for the-primary school teachers showed general support on the establishment of conservation education in schools and wildlife clubs. Economic hardship stood high as a determinant factor in planning Parks visits and the major areas of concerns were transport, food and accommodation. Park entry fees appeared to be a problem to a segment in the sampled target groups. As for domestic tourists’ statistics, there is little information available so far, sometimes creating confusion even in determining who really is a domestic tourist. This is due to the way statistics are collected and interpreted. That aside, it appears that urban dwellers were more knowledgeable about the Parks and ready to pay the current Park fees rates although some were ready to pay more. Based on the main findings for this study, the report concludes that domestic tourism is poorly promoted due to weak policies, strategies and plans. It is further ascertained that the current slow growth in domestic tourism needs to be reversed so that its contribution to Parks’ income increases. The study concludes with the justifications to promote domestic tourism, encourage conservation education in schools and find ways to reduce costs for Tanzanians of visiting National Parks. Lastly, it is recommended to harmonize the national tourism policies to be in line with the public, private sectors and the communities. At the same time, it is necessary to initiate domestic tourism research, regional tourism, to undertake aggressive marketing and to provide conservation education curricula in schools for the youth.

MacArthur Foundation of the United States of America and Tanzania National Parks