DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania is preparing to enter the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism sector as part of a broader strategy to increase national revenue, create jobs, and attract foreign investment, an official said on Thursday.
Ernest Mwamwaja, director of marketing at the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), who represented Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Hassan Abbasi, made the announcement at the MICE stakeholder forum held in the port city of Dar es Salaam.
He said that formally joining the MICE sector will help position Tanzania among countries benefiting from this form of tourism, particularly by increasing the number of tourists, investors, and employment opportunities.
Mariam Ndabagenga, founder and managing director of Popular Link Limited, a local organization involved in promoting MICE tourism, said Tanzania possesses abundant resources that could make it a hub for international conferences in Africa.
Ndabagenga noted that MICE tourism has become a significant source of income for many countries, citing Rwanda as a leading example in Africa due to its substantial investment in infrastructure and promotion of the sector.
"Tanzania already receives many visitors for various activities. We must invest in this area of conference tourism to start reaping the benefits," said Ndabagenga. "These visitors have strong purchasing power, demand high-quality services, and when satisfied, they bring others."
"The key is to ensure that someone attending a conference or convention doesn't just stay in Dar es Salaam, but also visits our tourist sites. This directly benefits other sectors such as transport, hospitality, food services, and youth employment," she said. ■
