Tanzania to create special authority to promote beach tourism: official

The government of Tanzania is in the final stage of establishing a special authority charged with promoting beach tourism in the nation, a senior official told parliament on Wednesday.

Constantine Kanyasu, the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the authority will ensure that the country's beautiful beaches were put into proper use as a destination for tourists from across the world.

Kanyasu was answering a special-seat Member of Parliament Amina Mollel, who asked what the government was doing to diversify tourism instead of relying on traditional tourism, like wild animals.

Kanyasu also asked if the government was ready to develop Coco Beach in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and other beaches in the country.

In November last year, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced that the government was establishing a beach management directorate aimed at promoting beach tourism in the country.

"We instructed the ministry responsible for tourism to ensure that we improve our lakes and sea beaches for the country's development and the ministry is working on the instructions," Majaliwa told the National Assembly.

Tourism is one of the largest foreign exchange earners of Tanzania, contributing an average of 2 billion U.S. dollars to the country annually, which is equivalent to 25 percent of all exchange earnings, according to the government data.

A report released in June 2017 rated Tanzania's tourism industry as one of the fastest growing sectors in the country with figures showing a surge on tourist arrivals.

The report was jointly compiled by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the Bank of Tanzania, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Immigration Department and the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.