image

Tanzania hopes to improve international tourism by increasing the number of attractions in the country.

To this end, the government is focusing on upgrading game reserves into fully fledged national parks.

Tanzanian President, John Pombe Magufuli, is expected to start by commissioning the Burigi-Chato National Park on July 9.

The park is close to Lake Victoria on the border with Rwanda, and is surrounded by the Kagera River and Lake Burigi.

The park is home to a wide collection of wildlife, including elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, chimpanzees and gorillas.

Chato Airport will be used to open the area’s tourist circuit.

Tourism is among the country’s economic pillars, contributing an estimated 17.6% of the GDP.

In 2018, 1.49m tourists visited the country, generating $2.43bn for economy, up from $2.17bn in 2017 when the country hosted 1.33m tourist arrivals.

Source: tourismupdate.co.za