Tanzania is in negotiations with Qatar government to operate as a tourist hub for the visitors who are set to attend world cup matches in November and December.
This is one of the steps by the ministry of tourism to meet the country’s target of hosting five million tourists annually by 2025.
Speaking on Thursday, June 2, Zanzibar’s Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Simai Mohammed Said, described the intention of the meeting with Qatar ambassador to Tanzania was to make the country a hub for the visitors who will be going to watch world cup matches in Qatar
“We have talked about the ways we can trap some tourists to stay in Tanzania during and after the world cup kicks off, so that they can watch matches in Doha-Qatar and come back to Tanzania as their main base during the entire competition,” he said.
He added that Qatar Airways has been a major player in bringing visitors to Zanzibar and this has been vividly evident even during the covid-19 epidemic with their airline continued flying the route,
“Their planes have been making two trips a day. Today we recognize their contribution by giving them a certificate of appreciation through their ambassador as the way forward to further cooperation between the two countries,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Said requested the Qatar ambassador in Tanzania to facilitate the making and airing of documentary through Al Jazeera TV which will show the tourism attractions in Tanzania
For his part Qatar ambassador Mr Hussain Ahmad Al-Homaid said that he was delighted with the good and strong relationship between Tanzania and Qatar especially in the travel sector through Qatar airways which has been carrying many tourists to Zanzibar.
According to the report released by Qatar’s Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) Mr Hassan Al Thawadi, statistics show that they are expecting to receive more than 1.5 million visitors from every corner of the globe during the Fifa world cup.
Source: The Citizen
