SafariLands.org: Events: Arusha brings global tourism CEOs to Tanzania

Arusha Town is the gateway to the national parks in Northern Tanzania. Safari travellers planning to organize tours from Arusha as well as its neighbour Moshi.

The CEOs include renowned global nature and wildlife conservationists, tourism business stakeholders and charity organizations - who will be meeting to exchange views on the best options for tourists to facilitate local initiatives in poverty alleviation and fighting HIV/AIDS, among other social ills.

Organized by the Centre on Eco-tourism and Sustainable Development (CESD) at Stanford University in Washington DC, the conference is the first of its kind in Africa and second in the world. The first conference of this nature was held in 2004 at Stanford University.

The CESD co-director and the organizer of the conference, Dr Martha Honey, said the three-day conference would bring together key practitioners from socially responsible tourism businesses, experts in the field of sustainable tourism and philanthropy.

"This conference marks the most comprehensive examination to-date of travellers' philanthropy - the growing global initiative by which tourism businesses and travellers are helping to support local schools, clinics, micro-enterprises, job training, conservation, and other types of projects in tourism destinations around the world," Dr Honey said.

"We have chosen to hold the conference in Tanzania because there are many fine examples of responsible tourism businesses," she added. The East African coordinator for the conference, Mr Fred Nelson, said from Arusha that key participants are from various countries including Costa Rica, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Mexico and Dominica.

Others will come from India, Kenya, Honduras, Uganda and the host country, Tanzania, while more participants and their respective countries will be known later. Tourism has been recorded as Tanzania's leading foreign income earner with nearly triple the incomes accrued from agriculture.

In their three-day 'Travellers' Philanthropy Conference', participants will look at ways and practices which would make tourism benefit communities living in rich tourist areas neighbouring wildlife parks, game reserves, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, mountains and other tourist attractive spots.

The experts will discuss the ways that tourists and tourism business stakeholders could help local communities directly from their pockets and other donations through humanitarian contributions. The Maasai nomadic communities and the hunter-gatherer groups are the model examples of beneficiaries from traveller philanthropic initiatives. - Daily News

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Organisers of the conference said Tanzania has been selected host of the Second Global Travellers` Philanthropy Conference because of her commitment and outstanding leadership in the field of responsible tourism in Africa.

Organised by the Centre on Eco-tourism and Sustainable Development (CESD) of Stanford University in Washington D.C, the conference will be the first of its kind in Africa and second in the world.

The first conference of this nature was held in 2004 at Stanford University.

The CESD co-director, who is the organiser of the conference, Dr Martha Honey, said the three-day conference would bring together key practitioners from socially responsible tourism businesses, experts in the field of sustainable tourism and philanthropy.

Others would be community-based organisations, global and regional charity organisations doing community development work, the United Nations (UN), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) other development agencies, philanthropic foundations, government institutions and the media.

"This conference marks the most comprehensive examination to-date of travellers philanthropy - the growing global initiative by which tourism businesses and travellers are helping to support local schools, clinics, micro-enterprises, job training, conservation and other types of projects in tourism destinations around the world," Dr Honey noted.

"We have chosen to hold the conference in Tanzania because there are many fine examples of responsible tourism businesses," she added.

The East African coordinator for the conference, Fred Nelson, said in Arusha that the key participants would come from various countries including Costa Rica, US, UK, South Africa, Namibia, Mexico and Dominica.

Others would come from India, Kenya, Honduras, Uganda and the host country Tanzania, while more participants and their respective countries would be known later.

Tourism has been recorded as Tanzania's leading foreign income earner with nearly triple the incomes accrued from agriculture.

According to the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, tourist earnings this year are expected to touch 1.3tn/- which is contributing to three times the annual income from agriculture.

More than 800,000 tourists are expected to arrive in the country by end of the year bringing in about USD1.1bn, about 33 per cent of the total export of goods and services.

Currently, the sector (tourism) accounts for 17.2 per cent of the country's GDP and contributes nearly 28 per cent of total export earnings, making it the country's leading export sector, according to the ministry.

The tourism sector employs about 300,000 people while generating some 25,000 new jobs every year.

Among key speakers at the conference is Nobel Laureate and founder of Greenbelt Movement Prof Wangari Maathai, who will give the keynote address.

Others include famous biologist and founder of Africa Conservation Centre, Dr David Western, who will give a keynote address on "Ecotourism, Conservation and Development in Eastern Africa."