Arusha — The Arusha Municipal Council (AMC) has initiated a process to develop a "Tourism Master Plan" for the municipality as if to respond to the recent criticisms that the Lonely Planet made about Arusha as a tourist destination.
The Lonely Planet, dubbed the Travel Bible, nagged authorities, residents and friends of Arusha by listing the municipality as one of the eight most hated cities in the world. The proposed Tourism Plan is expected to shape the future of Arusha as a unique and competitive tourist destination.
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Some residents of Arusha are quick to criticize initiatives that AMC makes in managing affairs in the municipality. This time the AMC has become proactive. It challenges all stakeholders in Arusha to contribute to the process of shaping Arusha through development of a participatory Tourism Master Plan.
The rule of the challenge is to encourage local investors, individuals and institutions to take pride in developing the future of their city without external influence. It is important to apply that rule if Arusha is to become a unique tourist destination.
In particular, it is important for local people and institutions to realize that they are capable of pulling efforts and resources together in order to create a unique city. Let the people in Arusha refer to the University of Dodoma (UDOM) for motivation in that regard. It is said that UDOM is a result of a partnership among local investors and developers.
The institution is expected to be the biggest university in East Africa when it becomes fully operational in the next few years. Therefore, it is possible for residents of Arusha, local investors and developers to establish Arusha to become evidence that Tanzanians are eventually growing out of the unnecessary dependency on foreign aid and selfish syndrome that have crippled the country for so long.
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Imagine the richness of the Arusha Tourism Master Plan that would be a result of contributions from local institutions like the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), TATO, TACTO, AICC, Tour and Hotel Operators, communication and transport companies, construction companies, the media, museums, NGOs, Cultural Centers, researchers and academicians.
Imagine further the quality of the proposed Arusha tourism master plan if the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, local law enforcers, traders, economists, planners, GIS and mapping experts, entrepreneurs, tourism trainers, street vendors, street children, women groups, TANESCO and Water authorities were to make their contributions.
The starting point is for stakeholders to make contributions to develop a common policy statement that would guide designers of the tourism master plan to develop an appropriate future shape of Arusha. For instance, some people propose to focus development of Arusha as a cultural city since the cultures of the major ethnic groups in the city are still intact. Other people propose to develop Arusha as a financial city since the city is international.
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In addition, such people envisage that major trading activities can be conducted in the city. In fact, there are people who dream of development of a state of the art trading center the like of the Twin Towers in New York. They propose the center to be established at the plot which is located adjacent to Kilombero market. They argue that there are no decent shopping centers in Arusha.
Individuals and institutions with varied backgrounds have started to contribute to develop the tourism master plan for Arusha in different ways. For example, a local expert has volunteered to produce a document that reviews the requirements of four national guidelines, 12 national policies, 15 national legislations and eight international conventions in view of the proposed tourism plan.
The aim of the document is to ensure that the plan addresses the requirements of national and international policies and legislations. To his credit, the author prepared the draft document free. It is a sign of individual commitment for his country.
The document frames Arusha to become a multiple land use area with limited focus on the town as a tourist destination. In addition, the document is too regulatory. If in doubt of the statement, the author has devoted 30 pages of the 70 page document to describe how the plan is expected to adhere to requirements of national guidelines, strategies, policies and legislation. Needless to mention, a plan that is too regulatory can easily be a non-starter.
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In addition, the document describes a limited variety of tourist attraction features. For instance, the author proposes development of only biological and cultural attraction features. Yet, Arusha offers many other unique tourist attraction features such as the precious Tanzanite minerals. There is a Tanzanite museum in Arusha.
On their part, local economic planners propose a process of developing a tourism master plan that replicates the National Tourism Master Plan of 2002. The aim is to develop a city tourism plan which is consistent with national aspirations.
The Lonely Planet, dubbed the Travel Bible, nagged authorities, residents and friends of Arusha by listing the municipality as one of the eight most hated cities in the world. The proposed Tourism Plan is expected to shape the future of Arusha as a unique and competitive tourist destination.
GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetA" );
Some residents of Arusha are quick to criticize initiatives that AMC makes in managing affairs in the municipality. This time the AMC has become proactive. It challenges all stakeholders in Arusha to contribute to the process of shaping Arusha through development of a participatory Tourism Master Plan.
The rule of the challenge is to encourage local investors, individuals and institutions to take pride in developing the future of their city without external influence. It is important to apply that rule if Arusha is to become a unique tourist destination.
In particular, it is important for local people and institutions to realize that they are capable of pulling efforts and resources together in order to create a unique city. Let the people in Arusha refer to the University of Dodoma (UDOM) for motivation in that regard. It is said that UDOM is a result of a partnership among local investors and developers.
The institution is expected to be the biggest university in East Africa when it becomes fully operational in the next few years. Therefore, it is possible for residents of Arusha, local investors and developers to establish Arusha to become evidence that Tanzanians are eventually growing out of the unnecessary dependency on foreign aid and selfish syndrome that have crippled the country for so long.
GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetB" );
Imagine the richness of the Arusha Tourism Master Plan that would be a result of contributions from local institutions like the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), TATO, TACTO, AICC, Tour and Hotel Operators, communication and transport companies, construction companies, the media, museums, NGOs, Cultural Centers, researchers and academicians.
Imagine further the quality of the proposed Arusha tourism master plan if the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, local law enforcers, traders, economists, planners, GIS and mapping experts, entrepreneurs, tourism trainers, street vendors, street children, women groups, TANESCO and Water authorities were to make their contributions.
The starting point is for stakeholders to make contributions to develop a common policy statement that would guide designers of the tourism master plan to develop an appropriate future shape of Arusha. For instance, some people propose to focus development of Arusha as a cultural city since the cultures of the major ethnic groups in the city are still intact. Other people propose to develop Arusha as a financial city since the city is international.
GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetC" );
In addition, such people envisage that major trading activities can be conducted in the city. In fact, there are people who dream of development of a state of the art trading center the like of the Twin Towers in New York. They propose the center to be established at the plot which is located adjacent to Kilombero market. They argue that there are no decent shopping centers in Arusha.
Individuals and institutions with varied backgrounds have started to contribute to develop the tourism master plan for Arusha in different ways. For example, a local expert has volunteered to produce a document that reviews the requirements of four national guidelines, 12 national policies, 15 national legislations and eight international conventions in view of the proposed tourism plan.
The aim of the document is to ensure that the plan addresses the requirements of national and international policies and legislations. To his credit, the author prepared the draft document free. It is a sign of individual commitment for his country.
The document frames Arusha to become a multiple land use area with limited focus on the town as a tourist destination. In addition, the document is too regulatory. If in doubt of the statement, the author has devoted 30 pages of the 70 page document to describe how the plan is expected to adhere to requirements of national guidelines, strategies, policies and legislation. Needless to mention, a plan that is too regulatory can easily be a non-starter.
GA_googleFillSlot( "AllAfrica_Story_InsetD" );
In addition, the document describes a limited variety of tourist attraction features. For instance, the author proposes development of only biological and cultural attraction features. Yet, Arusha offers many other unique tourist attraction features such as the precious Tanzanite minerals. There is a Tanzanite museum in Arusha.
On their part, local economic planners propose a process of developing a tourism master plan that replicates the National Tourism Master Plan of 2002. The aim is to develop a city tourism plan which is consistent with national aspirations.
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