Tourism industry pins hope on Mafuru as new TTB boss

 Mr Mafuru, with a wealth of knowledge in corporate marketing, has served for slightly over a year as the managing director of the convention centre.

Stakeholders in the tourism industry on Saturday, March 16, welcomed his appointment, expecting him to turn the tourism sector to new heights.

"He has just been appointed. We are eagerly waiting for him," said Wilbard Chamburo, the chairman of the Arusha-based Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato).

He said when reached out to by The Citizen that he had little to say but that he and the tourism fraternity in Arusha would meet him to discuss the challenges facing the sector.

The director of Jackpot Tours and Safaris, Mr Andrew Malalika, said the new TTB boss should be ready to sit down with stakeholders to discuss the way forward for the key sector.

"I am not sure of his experience in tourism. I don't have his detailed background and have never interacted with him," he said upon learning of the appointment.

However, Mr Malalika said it is the appointing authority (President Hassan) who knows better the potential of Mr Mafuru "given that he has been managing conferences."

Through his involvement in marketing, he may be talented in organising meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), which is a critical segment in the tourism industry.

"Mama Samia knows the kind of personality we need to reach the target of five million tourists a year by 2025," he told The Citizen on the phone.

On the challenges the new TTB boss would encounter, Mr Malalika acknowledged that the tourist board has its own list of challenges that have to be tackled sooner or later.

"Not only TTB but the entire tourism industry is facing challenges. If I meet Mr Mafuru, I will tell him he has a big task ahead of him because he has put on 'big shoes," he said.

However, the Arusha-based tour operator said the changes announced by President Hassan early on Saturday, March 16, 2024, have been too rapid.

Both Mr Mafuru and Damas Mfugale were appointed to head the AICC and TTB, respectively, early last year, a period deemed too short for them to impactfully deliver.

"For the two, it has been a rapid change, especially for Mr Mfugale. But the Head of State has a secret as to why she had to redeploy them to the new posts," he added.

He further added that Mr Mafuru was leaving the AICC at a time when the state-run convention centre had seen a surge in conferences, a major improvement from the paucity of meetings a few years ago.

Dr Firmin Nguma, who spearheads a lobby called “The Arusha We Want,” said Mr Mafuru was leaving at a time he (Dr Mguma) had yearned to see the outgoing MD but without success.

"This is the guy I really don't know but have been looking for months. I wanted to see him and discuss with him how to promote urban tourism in Arusha," he said.

Dr Mguma, a retired scientific researcher, said it would be a mockery if urban tourism were promoted in Arusha city without the involvement of the AICC.

TTB, which is under the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, was established in 1992 after the disbandment of the then-Tanzania Tourist Corporation (TTC).

The board, now 32 years old, is mandated with the promotion and development of "all aspects" of the foreign exchange-generating tourism industry in Tanzania.

The sector currently generates 25 percent of the export earnings (foreign exchange), accounting for at least 17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Other stakeholders interviewed on the changes in the leadership of TTB, in particular, said Mr Mafuru alone would not tackle a host of challenges facing the tourism sector.

Topping the list is the inadequate funding of the parastatal to aggressively market the country's tourist attractions in the major tourism source markets abroad.

Others are overdependence on foreign markets, in particular Europe and North America and on wildlife products as major attractions for visitors.

Another challenge, often raised during a host of meetings of industry stakeholders, is an inadequately skilled workforce and expertise in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The slow growth of the industry has also been attributed to poor infrastructure and facilities and limited participation in international tourism promotion fairs and exhibitions.

The tourism industry rebounded last year as tourist arrivals increased by 24.3 percent to hit a record 1.8 million, the Bank of Tanzania said.

Tourism is Tanzania’s leading foreign exchange earner after generating $3.37 billion in 2023, followed by gold, whose exports increased by seven percent to $3 billion and transportation, whose receipts increased by almost 30 percent to $2.4 billion.