Enhancing Domestic Tourism in Tanzania: Case Study of Saanane Island National Park.

Ndelolia, Deogratius Nicholaus (2024) Enhancing Domestic Tourism in Tanzania: Case Study of Saanane Island National Park. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study assesses ways to enhance domestic tourism in Tanzania national parks using Saanane Island National Park (SINP), the closest destination to domestic tourists as a case study. The study assessed the perception of Mwanza city residents on tourism, limiting social-cultural factors and promotion campaigns used to market tourism products to Tanzanians. About 150 respondents were randomly consulted using a semi structured questionnaire in Mwanza city. In addition, key informant interview was conducted with 11 residents who have lived in the city for more than 10 years and have practiced business in hospitality. The results indicate that the majority (57%) of respondents perceive tourism is not only for international tourists but also for residents. Low number of domestic tourists in SINP is attributed to the lack of travel culture and awareness of tourism destinations. This is evidenced by 95.3% of respondents who strongly agreed that they have no habit of travelling to national parks while on holidays or annual leave. Lack of information on travelling time and costs to enter the park as well as insufficient promotion materials were found to limit residents to visit SINP. With these findings, the study concludes that to enhance domestic tourism in Tanzania, strategic awareness campaigns (i.e. information on how far the destination is, travelling time, attractions present and total costs of visit) and incentivize travel are needed to inculcate travel culture among the residents. This is why the study used a park that is very close to the city but with low tourists‟ visitation to assess ways to enhance domestic tourism in Tanzania. Key words: Saanane Island National Park, Tanzania, Domestic Tourism.

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