Serengeti General Management Plan

Serengeti National Park General Management Plan
Tourism management strategy
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Programme Purpose: SENAPA tourism managed and developed in order to
provide an outstanding experience for both local and international visitors,
optimal economic benefits to the nation, TANAPA, private sector partners
and local communities, and minimal impacts on the Park’s resource values
The SENAPA tourism strategy seeks to align the long-term development of tourism in the
Serengeti with the programme purpose described above and with national tourism policies
and action plans. The aim of this strategy is to provide a general statement of principles and
policy to guide the Tourism Programme over the next 10 years.
The principal national policy-level instruments that the SENAPA tourism strategy has been
based on are: the National Policies for National Parks in Tanzania (1994), the Wildlife Policy
of Tanzania (1998), the revised National Tourism Policy (1999), and the Integrated Tourism
Master Plan (2002). The strategy also builds on the previously approved SENAPA Management
Plans (1991 and 1996), so as to ensure continuity where appropriate and to account for
the specific context and management needs of the Serengeti.
The main objective of the National Tourism Policy that underpins the development of all tourism
in Tanzania is: ‘to promote the economy and livelihood of the people … through encouraging
the development of sustainable and quality tourism that is culturally and socially acceptable,
ecologically friendly, environmentally sustainable and economically viable’. The Integrated
Tourism Master Plan was formulated to implement this policy, with its core strategy
being to develop ‘an integrated tourism product that is capable of attracting a low volume,
high yield segment of the international tourism market’. In conjunction with this strategy, and
in compliance with the National Tourism Policy, ‘deliberate plans will be put in place to promote
domestic tourism’.
In response to these national policies, tourism at SENAPA will be enhanced, diversified and
dispersed in order to increase visitor numbers and optimise revenue; whilst at the same time
reducing visitor density, so as to maintain the wilderness character of SENAPA and its lowdensity
tourism opportunities. This policy is in keeping with the previous SENAPA Management
Zone Plan and provides a contrast with the high volume tourism opportunities available
in the adjacent Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Masai Mara National Reserve in
Kenya.
To be able to achieve an outstanding visitor experience with minimal impacts, all tourism facilities
and activities must be compatible with SENAPA’s conservation objectives and regularly
monitored to ensure that environmental quality is maintained. In this respect, only those
types of tourism activities that contribute to the understanding and appreciation of park resources
and minimise impact on natural, cultural, aesthetic and scenic values will be allowed.
In essence, it is intended that tourism will be seen as a conservation tool that proactively
assists the SENAPA park management.
The SENAPA tourism strategy incorporates a set of principles designed to promote the
achievement of the tourism programme purpose and to ensure alignment with national policies
and strategies, as described below:
Diverse visitor experience
SENAPA will offer a diverse range of appropriate visitor experiences to a wider range of
landscapes and resources within the Park, especially in the lower density areas such as the