SIXTH ANNUAL
“TANZANIA TOURISM” AWARDS HONORS OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL,
TravelTalkRADIO, THE KEMPINSKI KILIMANJARO HOTEL AND PRECISION
AIR
Awards
Presented at a Gala Tanzania Dinner May 2, 2006
at the Annual
Africa Travel Association (ATA) Congress, Accra, Ghana
Accra, Ghana,
May 2, 2006
--- Now in its
sixth year, the prestigious Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB)’s
Annual Tourism Awards were presented by Peter J. Mwenguo, TTB
Managing Director, on behalf of Hon. Anthony Diallo, MP,
Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, at a Gala
Tanzania Night. This Award dinner has become one of the
celebrated traditions of the annual Africa Travel Association’s
(ATA) International Congress. The 2006 honorees are Boston-based
Overseas Adventure Travel - the Tour Operator Humanitarian
Award; TravelTalkRADIO, the Media Award; Kilimanjaro Hotel
Kempinski in Dar es Salaam, The Hotel Award and Precision Air,
the Airline Award. The Awards Dinner took place on Tuesday, May
2, in Accra, Ghana.
Present at the
Awards Dinner and Ceremony was the ATA Congress host, Hon. Jake
Obetsebi-Lamptey, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Modernisation
of the Capital City, ATA President, Hon. Kabinga J. Pande, MP,
Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Zambia,
Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, MP, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of
Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, and ATA Executive
Director, Mira Berman. Also in attendance were the Ministers of
Tourism and heads of delegations from more than 20 African
countries, the ATA International Board of Directors and Chapter
representatives as well as more than 350 ATA delegates, mostly
American Travel professionals. In addition to the Mr. Mwenguo,
the Tanzania delegation included representatives from the
Tanzania Ministry for Natural Resources & Tourism, the Tanzania
Tourist Board, Tanzania National Parks and Ngorongoro
Conservation Area Authority.
About the Tanzania
Tourism Awards
TTB established the
Tanzania Tourism Awards in 2001, both to express its support and
appreciation to the travel professionals and media who have
worked hard to promote and sell Tanzania from the US market; and
as an incentive to increase the numbers even more in the coming
years. Peter Mwenguo, Managing Director TTB, noted “Tanzania
Tourism is booming. We have experienced an increase of close to
12% annually in the last few years, bringing us to 700,000
visitors in 2005, generating $1.072 billion USD. These awards
provide us with an opportunity to recognize and show our
appreciation to our partners in the industry who have made an
enormous contribution to this increase in tourism. The TTB
‘Humanitarian Award,’ now in its third year, was established in
the belief that it is our local communities that must realize
the financial benefits of this tourism boom. For this reason we
applaud those tour operators who themselves “give back” to the
local villages that they visit and encourage their clients to do
so. In the end, tourism is about sustainable development that
will encourage a culture of peace and friendship through
tourism.”
Amant Macha, TTB
Marketing Director, added “this year we wanted to not only honor
our partners from the US, but our partners at home, who have
helped to improve the quality and infrastructure of our tourism
product. We could not experience this dramatic growth in tourism
without this private sector investment and support.”
THE 2006 AWARD HONOREES
2006 MEDIA
AWARD – TravelTalkRADIO, Sandy Dhuyvetter, host
TravelTalkRADIO,
based in Southern California, but reaching a global audience
through a combination of live and internet broadcasting, Sandy
Dhuyvetter and her team at
www.traveltalkradio.com has made Tanzania’s “Authentic
Africa” experience come alive for their millions of listeners
around the globe through continuous and outstanding interviews
with Tanzanian Tourism representatives –with updates on Tanzania
News; interviews with those who have traveled to Tanzania,
climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Broadcasting live from the Adventure in
Travel Expos, Sandy has featured Tanzania to its listeners as
one of the best, diverse, and culturally rich adventure travel
experiences one can have in Africa.
About
TravelTalkRADIO
Sandy Dhuyvetter and
the TravelTalkMEDIA team produce informative travel news
segments and entertaining interviews from around the world that
are broadcast via ISDN and satellite to conventional radio
stations in the US, Canada the Caribbean and the UK. Satellite
distribution includes coverage in the Western Hemisphere, South
America and the Asia-Pacific Rim. TravelTalkRADIO is also heard
by millions of listeners in Mainland China on China National
Radio. Since its inception nearly 5 years ago, TravelTalkRADIO
has been broadcasting continuously worldwide via the Internet
and offering audio file archives for downloading or
"podcasting". The TravelTalkMEDIA companies also
produce newsletters and destination promos including live remote
radio broadcasts and pre-recorded broadcast-quality video TV of
events, all with worldwide distribution capability via the Web
and conventional radio and TV each week to audiences comprised
of hundreds of thousands of travel professionals, travel agents,
travel writers, journalists and travelers in the know. Sandy
also appears weekly in Southern California on Channel 9 KUSI TV.
TravelTalkRADIO programming reaches millions of listeners each
month.
2006 HOTEL AWARD – KILIMANJARO
HOTEL KEMPINSKI DAR ES SALAAM
Kempinski
Hotels, following a long and careful USD 40 Million renovation,
reopened the legendary “Kili” hotel in Tanzania’s port city of
Dar es Salaam.The new luxurious 180- room Kilimanjaro Hotel
Kempinski Dar es Salaam, located on the waterfront, is playing a
major role in the revitalization of the port of Dar es Salaam.
Kempinski’s magnificent renovation of the ‘Kili,’ will no doubt
restore the legendary hotel’s lost glory, as well as serve as a
focal point for Tanzania’s future development plans for the
renewal of Dar es Salaam as the major port, commercial and
tourism capital of East Africa. At the substantial cost of USD
40 million and three years construction work, the Kilimanjaro
Hotel Kempinski has been totally rebuilt as a modern,
eight-storey luxury hotel. Boasting 180 rooms and suites, each
offering magnificent views over the Indian Ocean, the hotel also
features conference, business and leisure facilities, making the
hotel ideal for business travellers and leisure guests alike.
The state-of-the-art conference facilities will give a boost to
the Meeting and Conference market for Tanzania.
“Tanzania is without
a doubt one of the most exciting tourism destinations in the
world,” said Marcus Van der Wal, Regional Director Tanzania,
Kempinski Hotels “and our substantial investment here reflects
our confidence in this country’s future. At the moment we are
even exploring further opportunities in this growth market.”
In December 2005,
Kempinski also opened the luxurious Zamani Kempinski Resort on
the Island of Zanzibar, which is part of the United Republic of
Tanzania.
2006 AIRLINE
AWARD – PRECISION AIR
Precision Air, one
of Tanzania’s domestic carriers, has long served the Safari
tourism in the Northern circuit. With the dramatic increase of
tourism in recent years, and the push for the development of the
Southern Circuit, there was an increased demand for service
between Dar es Salaam, in the South, and Arusha, in the North.
The parks in the Southern Circuit, Ruaha, the Selous, have
become part of more integrated itineraries which now feature
combining visits to the Northern and Southern National parks.
Precision Air, by increasing its flight schedule between Dar es
Salaam and Arusha to 28 flights a week, is making it possible
for tour operators to meet the growing demand of tourists who
want to include both circuits. Precision has also announced the
purchase of new aircraft to further modernize and improve its
service.
Precision Air also
provides excellent connections between Tanzania and Kenya, and
flies to Dubai in collaboration with Air Malawi.
2006
TOUR OPERATOR HUMANITARIAN AWARD – OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Boston-based Tour Operator, Overseas
Adventure Travel, has two programs to Tanzania and both
experienced an increase in passengers in 2006 over 2005, with
2,380
passengers booked to travel in 2006 so far. They will spend
32,604 bed nights and contribute $5.7 million in tourism revenue
to the local economy. Since 2002, Overseas Adventure Travel has
committed through its foundation, Grand Circle Foundation, to
contribute financially to support specific projects in local
schools in Tanzania. Every group visits Karatu Village, home to
a proud and noble tribes-people – the Iraqiw, where they observe
the daily rituals of rural Tanzanian life, performed virtually
unchanged since the time of their ancient ancestors; during the
stay in the village, the group visits and interacts with the
students in the local school.
OAT, through its
Grand Circle Foundation, together with many of its clients have
contributed almost $100,000 to five schools in Tanzania, Elerai
Primary School, Sinya Bashay Primary School, Karatu, Nija Panda
Primary School, Karuta, Kambi Ya Nyoka Primary School, Banjika
Secondary School, Karatu Area. (details attached).
About Overseas
Adventure Travel
Established in 1978,
and purchased by Alan Lewis of Grand Circle Corporation in 1993,
Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) offers well-paced adventures for
active, experienced travelers. Be it a wildlife safari, nature
expedition, or exploration of an exotic destination like
Tanzania, each program blends soft adventure excursions with
cultural and educational activities. Small groups, unique
lodgings, unconventional modes of transportation, cultural
activities, and expert trip leadership make OAT programs unique.
The average age of the Overseas Adventure Travel customer is 64.
About Grand Circle
Foundation
Established in 1992,
Grand Circle Foundation is a nonprofit organization that
supports environmental, cultural, and humanitarian organizations
in Boston and in countries where Grand Circle travels. To date
the foundation has donated more than $20 million in overseas and
domestic grants. The Foundation Board consists of educators,
environmentalists, and explorers, including Sir Edmund Hillary,
international explorer; Dr. Rodrigo Carazo, former President of
Costa Rica, Robert Muller, former assistant secretary-general of
United Nations and Lech Waleska Past President of Poland.
List of Donations/School by School
Elerai Primary School, Sinya: Total
Donations - $19,185
GCF is working with the school to complete
an unfinished dormitory.
Notes: Mostly Maasai children attend this
school. Rural conditions. Approximately 300 students, age 7-13.
Bashay Primary School, Karatu: Total
Donations - $22,025
Contribution paid for new roof for the
school, along with a small library, new student desks, and
school supplies Notes: Approximately 300 students, age 7-13.
Rural conditions. Great interactive visit.
Nija Panda Primary School, Karuta: Total
Donations $14,200
Contribution paid for new roof, desks and
school supplies
Notes: Approximately 300 students, age
7-13. Rural conditions.
Kambi Ya Nyoka Primary School: Total
Donations $21,130
Contributions paid for new roof, desks and
school supplies
Notes: Approximately 300 students, age
7-13. Rural conditions.
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