Tourism in Vision 2050: Tanzania’s Commitment to a Sustainable and Competitive Industry

The Dira ya Taifa ya Maendeleo 2050 (Vision 2050), launched by the Government of Tanzania in June 2025, presents a comprehensive long-term national development agenda to transform the country into a resilient, prosperous, and self-reliant nation by mid-century. While the Vision spans across multiple sectors and development pillars, it provides a timely and strategic framework to elevate Tanzania’s tourism industry into a global benchmark for sustainability, inclusivity, and competitiveness.

As the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), we commend the government’s commitment to embedding tourism in the country’s core economic transformation agenda. Vision 2050 rightly identifies tourism as one of the priority sectors for transformative growth, a recognition that reinforces TATO’s efforts to position the sector as a key driver of Tanzania’s socio-economic progress.

The Tourism Sector in Vision 2050

1. Recognized as a Strategic Growth Sector

In the document, tourism is listed among sectors with “great potential for transformation and inclusive growth.” This recognition affirms that the sector:

• Contributes significantly to foreign exchange earnings;
• Creates mass employment across value chains;
• Promotes regional development;
• Fosters environmental conservation and cultural preservation.

Vision 2050 outlines the need to diversify Tanzania’s tourism offerings beyond the traditional Northern Circuit and develop integrated circuits like the Southern, Western, and Coastal circuits, aligning directly with TATO’s long-standing advocacy for geographic and product diversification.

2. Tourism and the First Pillar: A Competitive and Inclusive Economy

The first pillar of the Vision focuses on building a stable, inclusive, and competitive economy. Within this pillar, tourism is envisioned to:

• Stimulate broad-based investment in infrastructure and service delivery;
• Create resilient and high-quality tourism enterprises;
• Increase tourist arrivals and spending through improved products and marketing.

To achieve this, Vision 2050 emphasizes creating an enabling environment through:

• Public-private partnerships (PPPs);
• Robust transport and digital infrastructure;
• Policy predictability;
• Fiscal reforms that promote investment.

TATO views this alignment as a positive signal that future national policies and budgeting frameworks will continue to support the tourism sector’s competitiveness.

3. Tourism in the Second Pillar: Human Development and Social Well-being

The second pillar centers on investing in people. For tourism, this means:

• Enhancing training and capacity building for hospitality workers and safari guides;
• Promoting skills development in languages, digital marketing, and customer service;
• Ensuring gender equity and youth inclusion in the tourism workforce.

TATO already plays a pivotal role in capacity-building efforts. From training over 1,000 driver guides annually on ethics and safety to organizing compliance workshops on personal data protection and digital systems like the Safari Portal V2, TATO is committed to professionalizing Tanzania’s tourism human capital.

4. Tourism in the Third Pillar: Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience

Tourism cannot thrive without biodiversity. The third pillar of the Vision calls for preserving Tanzania’s natural ecosystems, the very foundation of wildlife-based tourism.

Key highlights include:

• Strengthening conservation programs;
• Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure;
• Expanding eco-tourism models;
• Promoting circular economy practices within the industry.

TATO is proud to be at the forefront of advocating for responsible and sustainable tourism. Our members continue to collaborate with conservation authorities and NGOs to promote tourism models that protect wildlife corridors, reduce carbon emissions, and empower local communities.

How TATO Aligns With and Supports Vision 2050

As a leading private sector umbrella body in Tanzania’s tourism ecosystem, TATO plays a crucial role in realizing the aspirations of Vision 2050. Our core focus areas , Advocacy & Lobbying, Research & Marketing, Consultancy & Training, and Information Sharing , are already helping bridge policy and practice in the following ways:

1. Advocacy and Policy Engagement

TATO has successfully advocated for tax reforms, digital transformation in revenue collection (e.g., Safari Portal V2), and exemption of tourism businesses from currency regulations that threaten sector viability. The success of such efforts contributes directly to Vision 2050’s goal of enhancing the ease of doing business in tourism.

2. Infrastructure and Access Development

TATO continues to champion improved infrastructure, especially in underdeveloped circuits. Our position papers and stakeholder forums have been instrumental in spotlighting challenges in air access, road connectivity, and digital penetration, especially in the Southern and Western circuits.

3. Diversification and Product Innovation

We are at the forefront of marketing non-traditional tourism products, cultural tourism, agro-tourism, wellness retreats, and adventure experiences, that appeal to a growing global demand for immersive and sustainable travel. This mirrors the Vision’s directive to “broaden the tourism offering” and reduce dependency on the Northern Circuit.

4. Inclusive and Community – Centered Tourism

TATO emphasizes that tourism must benefit Tanzanians at every level. From promoting local ownership in tourism enterprises to facilitating CSR initiatives and education support in host communities, our approach embodies the Vision’s emphasis on shared prosperity.

Recommendations to Strengthen Tourism’s Role in Vision 2050

While the Vision provides a strong foundation, TATO recommends the following policy enhancements to further strengthen tourism’s impact:

• Institutionalize tourism in national budgeting to ensure predictable funding for tourism development, training, and marketing;
• Revise fiscal policies that unintentionally constrain SMEs in the tourism sector;
• Create a National Tourism Competitiveness Index to benchmark and track sector performance;
• Expand the national eVisa system and streamline border entry processes to attract high-value tourists;
• Establish a Tourism Development Fund, sourced from sector-specific levies, to invest in destination management and digital marketing.

Conclusion: A New Chapter for Tanzania’s Tourism

Vision 2050 is not just a government document, it is a national commitment to building a resilient and people-centered economy. For the tourism industry, this is a clarion call to innovate, diversify, and lead responsibly.

As TATO, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to working with the Government of Tanzania, development partners, conservation bodies, and our over 400 member companies to position Tanzania as the premier destination in Africa by 2050.

Together, let’s chart a sustainable, inclusive, and competitive future for Tanzanian tourism, where nature, culture, and community thrive in harmony.