The Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) will be rebranded to make it more attractive to private tourist stakeholders and to attract more tourists to visit the country.

The TTB has been operating its daily activities through government subsidy, with little to no contributions from private tourist stakeholders – key players in Tanzania’s tourism business.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Constantine Kanyasu, said the government aimed to rebrand the TTB to make it more vibrant, through closer co-operation with private tourist stakeholders.

Tanzania is seeking to attract three million tourists in the next two years by focusing on the China, India, Pacific Rim, and South America source markets. According to predictions from the World Bank, tourism revenue for Tanzania could grow to $16 billion annually by 2025.

Recently, delegates from the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators and the Hotel Association of Tanzania met with the Tanzanian Parliament Speaker, Job Ndugai, to express their concern over the taxes and levies imposed on tourism. They were seeking harmonisation of taxes, levies, and duties imposed on the tourism industry to make the country a more competitive destination.

There are 12 levies related to business registration and regulatory licences as well as 11 duties for each tourist vehicle annually.