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Honorable Ezekiel Maige, MP, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) and the Tanzania Tourism delegation, used the occasion of their visit to the United States to present Tanzania Tourist Board’s (TTB) 2011 Annual Tourism Awards.
In New York, the TTB Awards were presented at the Africa Travel Association’s (ATA) Sixth Annual Presidential Forum to ET African Journeys, South African Airways, and LuxuryWeb Magazine on September 20, 2011. Later in the week, a second set of TTB Awards were presented at the Third Annual Diaspora Council of Tanzanians in America Convention to Africa Adventure Company and Gibb’s Farm, Tanzania. The event, organized together with the Embassy of Tanzania in Washington, D.C., took place at the Marriott Washington Dulles Airport Hotel on September 23, 2011.
Honorable Maige was joined by Ibrahim Mussa, Director of Tourism, MNRT; Dr. Aloyce Nzuki, Managing Director, TTB; Allan Kijazi, Director General,Tanzania National Parks and Egidius Mweyunge, Private Secretary to the Minister.
The Awards were created in 2000 to recognize and show appreciation to the travel professionals and media who have worked hard promoting and selling Tanzania in the US market, as well as to provide an incentive to increase the numbers even more in the coming years.
ET African Journeys, a Group IST brand and the official tour operator for Ethiopian Airlines, received the TTB Tour Operator Promotion Award 2011 for outstanding promotion with the launch of its new Tanzania programs. In the short time since ET African Journeys rolled out its six diverse, Tanzania-only itineraries, including the less known but exciting and less crowded game-viewing experience of the Southern Circuit, it has been so successful that ET African Journeys has become one of the fastest growing tour companies generating business to Tanzania from the US market.
South African Airways was presented with the TTB Supporting Airline Award 2011 for the outstanding promotional support provided the Tanzania Tourist Board’s efforts to increase Tanzania tourism from the US market. South African Airways has sponsored several media trips as well as offered special air fares to Tanzania in support of the Karibu Travel & Tourism Fair and the 50th Anniversary year of celebrations of Tanzania.
LuxuryWeb Magazine won the TTB Online Media Award for its outstanding coverage of Tanzania. Barbara Angelakis, Editor in Chief, wrote a series of three feature articles on Tanzania covering the Northern and Southern Circuits as well as Zanzibar.
Gibb’s Farm, a five- star eco-lodge, was presented with the TTB Lodge Sustainable Tourism Award for being deeply rooted in the surrounding communities of the Ngorongoro Highlands. Gibb’s employs more than 100 local people and offers to the local communities, unparalleled programs for healthcare, retirement, micro-loans, and indigenous knowledge training.
Africa Adventure Company (AAC), a Florida-based tour operator, won the Tanzania Tourism Board Tour Operator Humanitarian Award for making a direct contribution to the betterment of the local communities. The many programs for local communities that the Africa Adventure Company and its clients have invested include sponsoring 29 children in Tanzania, all children of guides in the company’s team, allocating $15,000 towards student scholarship funds. AAC also arranges for visits at Tenguru School in Arusha where clients can join in the ongoing partnership of uplifting the school children. Africa Adventure Company matches donations made by clients and supports many conservation programs.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
