Tanzania welcomes 1000 people who have come to see some of Africa’s best tourist destinations

• 1000 tourists have arrived in Tanzania on a cruise trip.
• The guests are slated to visit numerous tourist attractions in Tanzania for a period of four days. 
• The sheer number of tourists would generate a sizable revenue for the country as a whole. 

The tourism department of Tanzania had a field day yesterday, as a cruise ship containing 1000 tourists docked at the Dar es Salaam Port.

Cruise tourism is a form of tourism that involves traveling and sightseeing via a cruise ship. It is both luxurious and an all-inclusive holiday on a cruise ship of at least 48 hours, with a set and specific itinerary, in which the cruise ship calls at several ports or cities.

This form of tourism has seen a rise in popularity owing to flight restrictions that were brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tanzania is home to the beautiful island of Zanzibar, and other beautiful tourist destinations like the Serengeti National Park, as a result, the East African country is no stranger to tourist visits. However it is new to cruise tourism.

The Dutch ship, 237.7 meters (780 ft) long, which belongs to the Holland America Line’s, arrived at the port of Dar es Salaam from Egypt as part of its 71-day round-trip in the Grand Africa Voyage.

According to Amos Nnko, the managing director of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), the visitors will be staying in Tanzania for four days, sightseeing different tourist cities including Bagamoyo, Mikumi National Park and Zanzibar.

“Apart from the tourists, the ship also carried 573 crew members, they will visit different historical sites and then go to Zanzibar on November 12 -13, 2022.

Cruise tourism is a new product in Tanzania and that is a positive response to the government's efforts to boost the sector’s recovery.” said Mr Nnko.

The acting port director at the Port of Dar es Salaam Mr. Mathew Anthony, noted that the arrival of the tourists is sure to generate revenues that cut across different sectors. He mentioned that not only would the tourism sector benefit, but further development of the port will also ensue from the money generated.

Mr. Anthony said, “Some people only have this idea that big ships at the ports are only for cargo, but today we have seen that we can also receive big ships carrying passengers, especially tourists.”

According to online booking sources, the prices for 71 days round-trip Grand Africa Voyage for the Zaandam start from $11,799 (Sh27.51 million) for double occupancy rates.

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