Tanzania is a paradise for tourism. The country has a beautiful landscape with high mountains, national parks with a breathtaking wildlife, the cultivation of favored products and culturay diversity due to more then 120 tribes.
The tourism sector is the nation’s second leading foreign exchange earner and it benefit their economy with income, employement and tax revenue (Kweka et al., 2003). But the country is still facing some problems like the infrastructure, qualified employees and legal and regulatory frame conditions. Nevertheless the tourism in Tanzania experience a constant increase since the mid-1980s (Wade et al., 2001).
But why the tourism in Tanzania increased? Firstly the tourism sector experienced a positive influence from the growing tourist industry of Kenya (Derek et al., 2001). But also due to the development of technology and the use of social media. (Ndekwa et al., 2016).
With social media platforms, like instagram or facebook, it is more easy to reach people worldwide. With the hashtag #tansania 59.628 pictures have been posted until now. But this is nothing to compare with hashtags from the main touristic spots in Tanzania. For example #serengeti with 477.635 or #kilimanjaro with 469.359 posts. When I was in Tanzania I also posted one photo with the hashtag #tansania.
Not only private people also companies are using social media or other platforms to reach as much people as they can.
What are people thinking about this development. If you are interested in other opinions read belowing interview with Alan one of the owner of MAK COFFEE in Germany.
Can you introduce yourself?
“My name is Alan … I come from Tanzania. I was born in Arusha and I live in Germany since 2006. I came here for studies … I did international business and master international business and finance. Then afterwards I worked and decided after three years to start my own company.“
What comes to your mind when you think about Tanzania?
“Tanzania is a beautiful land. And I love the people and the nature. I love the mix between the natural resources, the animal and the people. It’s just nice to be in Tanzania.“
Do you think that the tourism sector in Tanzania has increased in the last 10 years? And why/ why not?
“I think due to the political situation … good situation, tourism sector in Tanzania has increased. And… the people due to digitalization or the use of social media, people post a lot of videos or photos which attract people to visit Tanzania. Therefore, thanks to the digitalization and the political stability Tanzania has improved a lot in tourism.“
What are you thinking about technology use in Tanzania? For instance, the use of social media?
“I think Tanzania is not so advanced in technology and there is a lot to do but nevertheless in Tanzania a lot of people have smartphones sometimes with two or three. They are all connected to the internet but nevertheless the internet is very expensive. There is still room for improvement but … many people say that there is already a big improvement and sometimes they are more advanced then Europe in things like online or mobile payment.
AFRICA 