Tourism expo for Arusha soon

East Africa’s premier tourism exposition, the 11-year-old Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair (KTTF), is slated for early June in Tanzania’s safari capital city of Arusha.

The largest and most ambitious travel industry event in the region and second in Africa after Indaba in South Africa, KTTF has become “the place to get together” for the region’s travel industry partners with others from around the world.

Official organisers, the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), said the 2011 KTTF, taking place from June 3 to 5 just outside of Arusha, sprawling Arusha, promises to be the largest ever.

The EA partner states are targeting a slice of the 90 million Asian tourists expected to travel abroad this year and spend a staggering $86 billion in 2011.KTTF is expected to attract more than 7,500 visitors from EA partner states, South Africa, Asia mainly China, the US and Europe.

Also organisers are buoyant that this year’s exhibitors will eclipse last year’s record of 250 in spite of an international tourism market subdued by the US travel advisory following the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

“Nearly 300 exhibitors are anticipated to take part in this year’s fair, along with media and thousands of regional and international visitors,” said Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) Executive Secretary Mustapha Akunaay.

The KTTF will draw participants from several Asian, European countries as well as from the US. Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, South Africa, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, DRC Congo and the host, Tanzania are expected to send exhibitors to the event.

With little more than two weeks to go to KTTF, which takes place at the Magereza Open grounds near Arusha Airport, so much anticipation and excitement is building up to this event which some have referred to as "the most significant show ever."According to Akunaay, the first day of KTTF will be exclusively for the travel trade, while the second day will be open to the general public to interact with exhibitors and delegates.

The last day will be especially for trade visitors and travel writers with entertainment, sky diving and business exchange.The KTTF will be funded by Tanzania National Park Authority, Precision Air, Hanspaul Automechs Ltd; Paradise Express Hotel; Ujumbe Ink and Mount Meru Hotel.

Other sponsors are applied technology (Red andamp; White), Tanzania Breweries Ltd, Tarpo Kenya, KK Security, Arusha Art (Cybernet), Authentic Emergency Services; Knight Support, First Air Responder and Dodoma Transport andamp; Skytel.

EA single destination

This year the KTTF fair focuses on marketing the EA as a single tourist destination, an initiative that along with others puts the show in an enviable and potentially enormously lucrative position.KTTF’s major objective is to raise the regional profile by promoting EA tourism to the global market and to bring all key industry players in EA together in one place, at one time.

Additionally, the fair aims to create opportunities for international visitors and overseas tour agents to meet and network with members of the EA tourism industry, bring new destinations, facilities and products to the attention of overseas tour agents and facilitate opportunities for overseas tour agents to visit the national parks and properties.

Part of the uniqueness and excitement of the KTTF is that it is an outdoor event that offers a real safari experience.“Since America continues to be EA’s number-one source market for tourists, we are making a special effort to attract more travel agents from the US market,” KTTF Operations Officer Bonaventure Bernard told The Guardian on Sunday.

The Karibu fair in Swahili, meaning "welcome" travel show is operating under the umbrella of Natural Resources and Tourism Ministry, the state-run-marketing board, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO).

For the past ten years, KTTF has generated direct spending in the local economy, created direct and indirect employment by assisting development of small and medium enterprises, built alliances with neighboring EA partner states and brought together key tourism stakeholders through combined efforts to promote regional tourism.

Source = ippmedia