karibu fair in arusha, tanzania is east africa's sh0wcase of tr

KARIBU FAIR IN ARUSHA, TANZANIA IS EAST AFRICA’S Sby Jerry W. BirdWhile East Africa’s KaribuFair will celebrate its 10thAnniversary from June 4-7,2009, the 2008 version couldnot have been held at a moreopportune time - com<strong>in</strong>g onthe heels <strong>of</strong> two major eventsthat brought the world to Arushaand Tanzania, many forthe first time. We arrived <strong>in</strong>mid May for the Africa TravelAssociation’s 33rd WorldCongress, with its focuson market<strong>in</strong>g Africa Tour<strong>is</strong>mworldwide. We w<strong>is</strong>elydecided to stay for the prestigious Leon H.Sullivan Summit, which brought a grandarray <strong>of</strong> presidents, m<strong>in</strong><strong>is</strong>ters and dignitariesfrom Africa and the Diaspora, plus keyfigures from the USA. Be<strong>in</strong>g guests <strong>of</strong> theEast African All Suites Hotel, we had theopportunity to meet former AmbassadorAndrew Young, a close friend <strong>of</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>Luther K<strong>in</strong>g, plus Rev. Jesse Jackson, Carland Hope Masters, all keyparticipant. Hope <strong>is</strong> thedaughter <strong>of</strong> Leon Sullivan.We also spent timewith several the Tour<strong>is</strong>mM<strong>in</strong><strong>is</strong>ters <strong>of</strong> Namibia andZambia, among others.Three Big OnesWe then scored a “TripleWhammy,” by cover<strong>in</strong>gthe Karibu Fair. Karibu<strong>is</strong> Swahili for “welcome”and the Karibu Fair hasbecome a powerful magnet<strong>of</strong> trade and tour<strong>is</strong>m, attract<strong>in</strong>gv<strong>is</strong>itors from near and far. Amongseveral hundred exhibitors are entries fromthe entire East Africa region, plus SouthernAfrica and Europe, almost all <strong>of</strong> whomare connected to the safari <strong>in</strong>dustry. The<strong>fair</strong> operates <strong>in</strong> close association with ourfriends at the Tanzania Tour<strong>is</strong>t Board andthe Tanzania Association <strong>of</strong> Tour Operators.Now <strong>in</strong> its n<strong>in</strong>th successful year, Karibu <strong>is</strong>one <strong>of</strong> only two such events held <strong>in</strong> Africa;the other be<strong>in</strong>g Indaba <strong>in</strong> Durban, SouthAfrica. Now the major travel trade event<strong>in</strong> all <strong>of</strong> East Africa, the <strong>fair</strong> has grownto regional status, with plenty <strong>of</strong> room togrow, once people like ourselves spread thegood word.Fly-In or DriveThe many travel agents and tour operatorswe met or were reacqua<strong>in</strong>ted with dur<strong>in</strong>gour stay, feel very much at home here.They can network and conduct bus<strong>in</strong>essand <strong>in</strong> an ideal atmosphere, away from thebustle and gridlock <strong>of</strong> city traffic. Anotherunique, contribut<strong>in</strong>g factor we like aboutthe Karibu Fair <strong>is</strong> its location at the ArushaAirport. Be<strong>in</strong>g active <strong>in</strong> publ<strong>is</strong>h<strong>in</strong>g airtravel and aviation related magaz<strong>in</strong>es andtrade shows <strong>in</strong> Canada s<strong>in</strong>ce the early 90s,it was a joy to watch a variety <strong>of</strong> small craftdo<strong>in</strong>g take <strong>of</strong>fs and land<strong>in</strong>gs overhead. Onhand were familiar names and faces from

H0WCASE OF TRAVEL, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITYour v<strong>is</strong>it to Arusha <strong>in</strong> 1998, such as Bobby <strong>of</strong>Bobby’s Tours <strong>in</strong> Arusha. He drove usto the event, with a stop for lunch withseveral Russian tour operators. PeterMwenguo and Amant Macha <strong>of</strong> theTanzania Tour<strong>is</strong>m Board made sure wewere well <strong>in</strong>troduced. The ZanzibarAssociation <strong>of</strong> Tour<strong>is</strong>m Investors(ZATI) <strong>in</strong>vited us to hospitality hour <strong>in</strong>the large Zanzibar section as a w<strong>in</strong>dupon the f<strong>in</strong>al day.Solid Foundation and GoalsBased on the theme “Get Connected,”the Fair’s goals are as follows: Ra<strong>is</strong>ethe show’s regional pr<strong>of</strong>ile by promot<strong>in</strong>gEast African tour<strong>is</strong>m to the global marketplace;Produce the premiere travel and tour<strong>is</strong>mtrade <strong>fair</strong> <strong>in</strong> East Africa; Br<strong>in</strong>g all key <strong>in</strong>dustrystakeholders <strong>in</strong> East Africa together <strong>in</strong> one place,at one time; Create opportunities for <strong>in</strong>ternationalv<strong>is</strong>itors and overseas tour agents to meetand network with members <strong>of</strong> the East Africantour<strong>is</strong>m <strong>in</strong>dustry; Br<strong>in</strong>g new dest<strong>in</strong>ations, facilitiesand products to the attention <strong>of</strong> overs<strong>east</strong>our agents; Facilitate opportunities foroverseas tour agents tov<strong>is</strong>it the national parksand properties; Generatedirect spend<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>local economy - accommodations,restaurants,transportation, parks,etc; Create employment- directly and <strong>in</strong>directly -by ass<strong>is</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g development<strong>of</strong> small and mediumenterpr<strong>is</strong>es; Build allianceswith neighbor<strong>in</strong>gEast African countries,and key tour<strong>is</strong>m stakeholders, through comb<strong>in</strong>edefforts to promote regional tour<strong>is</strong>m.What’s Next for Karibu?Karibu Fair provides a venue for local andregional tour<strong>is</strong>m products and services.You certa<strong>in</strong>ly won’t experience it all <strong>in</strong> afew short hours. The exhibits and the folks<strong>in</strong> the booths are just too <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g! Wespent most <strong>of</strong> an entire day on our first v<strong>is</strong>it- and returned for an enjoyable and friendlyencore. Among the many exhibitors aretour<strong>is</strong>t boards, camp<strong>in</strong>g and safari companies,tour operators, air and land transportproviders, mounta<strong>in</strong> climb<strong>in</strong>g outfitters,ecotour<strong>is</strong>m companies, wildlife lodges ,hotels, camp<strong>in</strong>g and equipment manufacturers.We found th<strong>is</strong> event’s structure andscope similar to the “Adventures <strong>in</strong> TravelExpo” series <strong>in</strong> the USA and <strong>in</strong>vited severalnew friends to jo<strong>in</strong> us <strong>in</strong> Seattle, Wash<strong>in</strong>gton,home <strong>of</strong> Boe<strong>in</strong>g and Micros<strong>of</strong>t, fromSeptember 13-14, 2008. We at Africa TravelMagaz<strong>in</strong>e are impressed with th<strong>is</strong> eventand will give it global attention throughour award w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g 4,500 page website andcopies <strong>of</strong> our magaz<strong>in</strong>e d<strong>is</strong>tributed <strong>in</strong> NorthAmerica, Africa and around the world.For more <strong>in</strong>formation, v<strong>is</strong>it www.africa-ata.org or v<strong>is</strong>it the Karibu Fair website - www.<strong>karibu</strong><strong>fair</strong>.com