Qatar Airways opens new route in Tanzania and lands at premier tourist zone

TANZANIA (eTN) – Four months after announcing a plan to fly to northern Tanzania, Qatar Airways has opened a new route in Tanzania and made its first landing Wednesday morning, signaling the launching

TANZANIA (eTN) – Four months after announcing a plan to fly to northern Tanzania, Qatar Airways has opened a new route in Tanzania and made its first landing Wednesday morning, signaling the launching of a daily flight to Tanzaniaโ€™s leading tourist circuit. This has brought the airlines to two daily flights to Tanzania, connecting the capital city of Dar es Salaam and the northern tourist city of Arusha to other parts of the world through Doha.

The Doha-based airline touched down at Kilimanjaro International Airport on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, and marked the first flight to northern Tanzania, just a month after Kenya Airways landed at the same airport.

Tanzanian Tourism mMinister Mr. Khamis Kagasheki observed the touch down of the Middle East-registered airline at the airport and said the coming of Qatar Airways to Kilimanjaro is a great milestone and will potentially have a positive impact on the economic growth of both Tanzania and Qatar.

โ€œIt comes at the right time, when the number of tourists visiting Tanzania is on the significant rise. Over the last ten years, Tanzania registered a growth of 65 percent of international tourist arrivals. In 2011, Tanzania received 867,994 tourists, out of which 54 percent arrived in the country by air,โ€ Mr. Kagasheki said.

โ€œThe growth we have experienced over the years is largely because of the improved air connectivity, thanks to airlines like Qatar Airways, who faithfully continue to support our tourism industry,โ€ the Minister said.

He said that this new flight to northern Tanzaniaโ€™s premier tourist circuit will give an additional lift to trade and tourism between Tanzania and Qatar and endure the momentum towards closer ties.

Since 2008, when Qatar Airways began flying into Tanzania, the airline has stayed ahead of many other airlines flying into the country in terms of service flexibility and the number of flights.

โ€œYour continued patronage and support on improving airline connectivity to Tanzania, and Kilimanjaro in particular, is indeed a vital part of our tourism growth,โ€ he added.

Kilimanjaro International Airport is the most convenient entry point for visitors who wish to visit the world gems and icons of Kilimanjaro Mountain, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area – all of them being World Heritage sites.

It is estimated that the number of tourist arrivals in this African destination will hit the one million mark by the close of 2013, increasing the revenue from the current US$1.35 billion to US$1.5 billion, assuming the existing economic parameters prevail or, even better, improve.

Qatar Airways has won dozens of prizes and recognitions worldwide. Being a five-star airline, it complements well with tTanzaniaโ€™s tourism industry, which possesses facilities to cater to various market segments, notably the upper-end market.

Kilimanjaro International Airport currently serves 650,000 passengers per year, with the number of international arrivals increasing consistently by nearly 15 percent per year since 2003. Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 105 aircraft to 112 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America.

Travelers from Europe and America will have another option to reach Kilimanjaro through Doha, which provides many connection opportunities to big capitals and cities around the world.

This new route to northern Tanzania will also provide plenty of benefits for the Northern Tourism Circuit in Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Arusha, and Manyara regions, which host some of the most unique and important tourist attractions in this country.

Qatar Airways Kilimanjaro route is one of the fastest -growing hubs in today’s aviation industry.

The landing of Qatar Airways at Kilimanjaro comes shortly after the airportโ€™s management secured US$35 million to upgrade and renovate the airport with a facelift.

Renovation work, which covers upgrading of runways, taxiways, and aprons, started in January this year. The project also includes the building of a new taxiway to increase the capacity of the airport, as well as upgrading and expansion of the terminal building to meet the growing number of passengers.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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