By Florah Temba
He said there have at times been confusion on the exact
location of the highest mountain in Africa, with some international travel
agencies portraying it is in a neighbouring country.
"The mountain should be marketed as being in
Tanzania," he stressed during his recent visit to the Kilimanjaro National
Park (Kinapa).
He said the international travel agencies across the globe
should be sensitised that the mountain was in Tanzania and that mountain
climbers have to land in Tanzania to scale it. The snow-capped, 5,895-metre
high 'Roof of Africa' is one of the three leading tourists destinations in
Tanzania after the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. It is the
fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth - and as part of Kinapa, it
is one of the 22 national parks managed by the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa)
across the country.
Dr Ndumbaro challenged the management of both Kinapa and
Tanapa to aggressively market the mountain well in the tourism source countries
abroad so that tourists intending to scale it fly directly to Tanzania.
Besides the routine marketing through online tourist
journalism, the promotion efforts should also involve using sports, notably
football, golf, netball, basketball, boxing and other games.
Without elaborating, the minister hastened to say that some
people abroad were not aware that Mt. Kilinanjaro is in Tanzania, East Africa,
not in a neighbouring state.
Responding to the appeal, the Kinapa chief park warden, Ms
Angela Nyaki, said they would do everything humanly possible to promote the
mountain as a unique tourist attraction in Tanzania.
According to her, the renewed efforts are to include opening
a new climbing route via Kidia in Old Moshi.
The mountain would also be promoted through international
conferences hosted in the northern tourist circuit, notably in Arusha and
Moshi, she said.