Tourism pays dividends to Tanzania rural community

Tanzania Sustainable

Transferring dollars from international tourists to poor people living around tourist destinations has been a major challenge throughout East Africa and the world.

For instance, many dollars are generated from Tanzania`s world-famous northern tourist circuit, but little trickles into the poor communities.

While the northern safari circuit covering 300 km. attracts 700,000 tourists with combined revenues of $950million, only 18 percent, equivalent to $171million, goes to the communities around through the multiplier effects.

But now, this is bound to change. Public-private partnerships (PPPs), often seen as apt forms for financing big infrastructure projects, have also proved to be the best model to transfer tourism dollars to the ordinary people.

A case in Bashay remote village in Karatu District, Arusha region, where the community and a responsible tour outfit partnered to build key social infrastructures such as classrooms, water supply, and tree planting, among others, can prove that tourism has started paying dividends in rural communities in northern Tanzania.

Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club (MKSC), based in the northern safari capital of Arusha, has invested nearly $217,391 (Sh 500 million) in various social projects in Bashay village, Karatu district, Arusha region, where it operates a luxurious lodge.

This comes as a surprise as corporate philanthropy declines, thanks to the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that had brought the tourism industry to its knee.

Handing over six classrooms built and 300 desks at Bashay primary school, worth about $152,174 (Sh 350 million) combined, MKSC Director, Mr. George Ole Meing’arrai, said his company’s policy is to create social impact where it operates.

 “MKSC is a responsible tour company with a clear business policy of sharing profits with the community where we operate to create social impact,” Mr. Meing’arrai explained.

The tour outfit also pumped $64,348 (Sh 148 million) to build a laboratory in Banjika vicinity, supply clean and safe water at Bashay village, establish a vegetable garden, and plant 3,000 trees in its latest initiative to restore the green belt to mitigate the effect of climate change.

From the beginning, MKSC Board chairman, Mr. Eric Pasanisi, and managing director, Mr. Denis Lebouteux, had worked to build a responsible business that leaves a positive footprint on Tanzania.

They’ve become leaders in sustainability, integrating social and environmental best practices into every aspect of the business and giving back to the people and places that host them.

Receiving the projects, Karatu district council acting executive director, Ms. Yohana Ngowi, thanked the MKSC management for its painstaking efforts to uplift the poor community from abject poverty to a prosperous level.

“Truth be told, MKSC has been supportive of our community since it started operating in our area. Other tour companies have something to emulate this company when it comes to giving back to the community,” Ms. Ngowi explained amid applause from the floor.

For his part, Bashay Village Chairman, Mr. Raphael Tatok, said that his people are counting on blessing for hosting the MKSC, as its corporate social investment was not only visible to everybody in the vicinity but also impactful.

Bashay primary school head teacher, Mr. Elipheus Malley, said his school, for the last three consecutive years, has recorded outstanding academic performance in standard seven final national examinations, thanks to, among others, conducive learning infrastructures created by the MKSC.

“From 2019 up to 2021, my school saw all standard seven finalists pass their final national examinations and proceeded with the ordinary level education. This has been possible through generous support from MKSC in terms of putting best learning infrastructures,” Mr. Malley explained.

MKSC Board chairman, Mr. Eric Pasanisi, said he believes that the classrooms and desks will be taken care of to serve the current and future generations in Bashay for so many years to come.

 The managing director of the MKSC, Mr. Denis Lebouteux, commended the teachers at Bashay primary school for doing a great job in nurturing the pupils to become responsible citizens.

“What we’ve done is small compared to what you teachers have been doing. Here you are creating engineers, teachers, military generals, and other critical cadres to better save the country,” Mr. Lebouteux explained.

Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club (MKSC) is one of the country’s successful tour companies in terms of promoting Tanzania as the top destination in Europe, creating employment for the local population, supporting conservation drives, and giving back to the community.

MKSC is the pioneer carbon-neutral tour company in East Africa after having rolled out the first 100 percent electric safari vehicle (e-car) in Serengeti national park a few years back in its latest efforts to reduce pollution in the parks.

About the author

Adam Ihucha - eTN Tanzania

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