Despite having a number of great beaches and attractions, Tanzania is lagging behind on the global scale in the world of tourism. Experts generally agree that the country could be doing a lot better.
Tanzania has the world’s most famous wildlife documentary favorite - the Serengeti Park, which is at the top of the list of Africa’s most popular destinations and most attractive national parks. Most people could see various documentaries about the largest mammal migration on the planet that takes place there. Stunning beaches add to the attractions available in the East African hotspot. However, many in the tourism sector agree that Tanzania is not doing enough to market and support its assets to attract more tourism business. In fact, studies show that Tanzania is becoming less popular with tourists and has actually dropped 12 places in global rankings from 98th to 110th position.
So what is the reason behind the underachievement? The most obvious answer is a lack of suitable infrastructure. The biggest obstacle is that the Serengeti Park, most of which is in Tanzania, is somewhat inaccessible by road, rail or by air. This not only creates a problem for tourists in Tanzania, yet also destroys the reputation of the country outside.
Poaching scandals and rumors of illegal ivory trading has also put dents in the reputation of a struggling country. It is true that not all of the ivory poaching takes place in Tanzania, yet much of it passes through airports in Tanzania. The situation is getting worse as people are now not talking in terms of certain beasts only to be found in Tanzania, yet continually refer to them being exploited and poached.
What is Tanzania tourist board doing. The most corrupt marketing board. Private tour operators have no class or no mandate to share.
I don't see it as necessarily a bad thing, especially when the money brought in by tourists doesn't end up benefiting the local populations anyway..