UNDP and UNWTO supporting tourism recovery and local economic development in the United Republic of Tanzania 

Africa
15 Jan 2024

Since 2022, UNDP Tanzania and UNWTO have been collaborating on a joint project, titled “Tanzania Tourism Recovery through Digital Transformation and Local Economy Development”. The main purpose of the project is to support the tourism sector to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and become more resilient by focusing on building a green, innovative, safe and more inclusive tourism sector in the country.

The project is carried out within the framework of the support that UNDP is providing to the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO). Besides the digital tourism training to TATO members that was provided in the last quarter of 2022, a key component of the project is the preparation of an Integrated Tourism and Local Economic Development Strategy. 

In 2022, the situation analysis report for the Strategy was prepared and presented in a stakeholders’ meeting in Arusha, Tanzania. Subsequently, field surveys were carried out to identify recommendations for action and possible demonstration projects to include in the Strategy.  In September 2023, the draft Strategy was presented in a validation workshop with senior representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) and TATO, and the feedback received is being used to prepare the final version of the Strategy. 

The Tourism and Local Economic Development Strategy provides both recommendations at a national level and proposed actions to be taken at destination level, including proposals for possible demonstration projects in each of the four main Tourism Circuits in Tanzania Mainland, i.e. the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Lake Zone/Western Circuit. The recommendations and proposals presented in the Strategy may serve as a good basis to identify funding opportunities for follow-up projects in Tanzania on which UNWTO can collaborate with UNDP, MNRT and TATO to help enhance the local economic impact from tourism in the country. 