Community Development Based on TCTP

Tanzania Cultural Tourism Programme is a sustainable pro-poor tourism initiative that engages local communities in various tourism activities for the purpose of delivering the services to earn an income from tourism. Tanzanians are proud of receiving tourists in their rural areas where authentic Culture of the people can be perfectly explored and various benefits gained by the community.

Cultural Tourism contributes to Community Development through providing employment to local people who works as Tour Guides, Coordinators of Cultural Tourism Enterprises, traditional dancing, storytelling, food service provision, accommodation service provision (home stays & camping) and through direct sales of goods and services to tourists.

Cultural Tourism creates an opportunity for local people to sell goods and services directly to tourists. On the other hand, communities benefit indirectly through tax or levy on tourism income or profits with proceeds.

A number of development projects such as education, health, water, environmental conservation and orphanage centres have been supported by Village Development fees which make a small portion of the package price. Other tourists have been providing voluntary donations to support local development projects. For the year 2010, 20 Schools have been renovated and supplied with desks and 1 new primary and Secondary school project in Babati and Hanang communities have been executed. The school project is $ 800,000 worth.

Sixteen (16) students with good performance completing standard 7 yearly have been sponsored for Secondary education, College and University education in Barbaig community. An orphanage centre and English medium school project fund operated by Matunda Cultural Tourism have been supported financially and in-kind by tourists doing their excursions and tours on the slopes of green forests of Mount Meru.

Currently Cultural Tourism Enterprises provides direct benefits (income) to Enterprise Coordinators, Tour Guides, Food Service Providers, handcraft makers (majority are women groups), story tellers, traditional dancers, farmers, traditional healers, blacksmith and home-stay service providers just to mention a few. Many poor and disadvantaged groups in rural areas are indirectly benefiting through Cultural tourism in Tanzania. Indirect benefits include supported development projects by development fees collected. Projects supported are schools, hospitals, water supply, orphanage centres and much more.