The Hon. Prof. Jumanne A. Maghembe, MP, Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, will lead a delegation of ten high level tourism officials on his first promotional visit to the US since his appointment as Minister, October, 2006. The tour will start in New York City, where Tanzania will have a booth at the New York Times Travel Show February 23-25, 2007. The delegation will then visit Dallas, Texas, February 27, and San Diego, California, February 28-March 2, 2007.

Tourism to Tanzania is booming. Already in 2006, Tanzania arrivals worldwide are expected to have reached 700,000, representing an increase of approximately 12% over the figures for 2005 (612,754). “The U.S. is currently our number two source market after the UK. However, with the increased focus in the media on Tanzania’s unique natural attractions, including USA Today naming the Serengeti National Park as the new ‘7th Wonder of the World,’ we are confident that we can make the US the number one source of tourism for Tanzania. It is toward this goal that one of my first official tours since being appointed Minister is to visit a few of America’s major cities,” the Minister said.