Wildlife Safari Tourist Destinations in Tanzania: Experiences from Colonial to Post-Colonial Era

ISSN: 2347-3215 Volume 2 Number 6 (June-2014) pp. 240-259 www.ijcrar.com Wildlife Safari Tourist Destinations in Tanzania: Experiences from Colonial to Post-Colonial Era Halima Kilungu1,3*, Pantaleo, Munishi2, Rik Leemans1, and Bas Amelung1 1Environmental System Analysis Group, Wageningen University, P.O. box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands 2Department of Forest Biology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3010, Morogoro Tanzania 3Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Open University of Tanzania, P. O. Box 23409, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania *Corresponding author KEYWORDS A B S T R A C T Wildlife Tanzania is currently one of the world's most visited countries for wildlife tourism, tourism, but its main destinations are at risk from changes in climate and local safari, land-use. The consequences of these changes on tourism demand are, Tanzania, however, unclear. Despite Tanzania's two centuries of experience with tourism wildlife tourism, the trends in Tanzania s wildlife tourism demand are poorly development understood. Insights into past, current and future tourists motivations and preferences are thus vitally important to successfully manage wildlife safari tourist destinations and tourism. This study aims to document and explain the developments in tourist motivations and preferences since the early 19th century. Changes in motivation and preferences, and the consequent wildlife resource utilization are analysed. These study recapitulates two centuries of wildlife resources governance. Wildlife resource uses in Tanzanian protected areas vary historically from exploration and discovery, ivory collection, hunting for trophies, safaris and nature conservation. These different purposes in different periods are summarised in an annotated map of the evolution and distribution of Tanzanian tourist destinations. The results are relevant for spatial planning and wildlife conservation in relation to tourism. Additionally, the map provides building blocks to develop exploratory scenarios to cope with the current climate and land-use change risks. Introduction Inbound tourism in Tanzania performed Tanzanian tourists arrivals increased from very strongly over the last three decades. 0.06 million tourists in 1982 to over 1.1 According to UNWTO (2012), Wade million in 2012 (i.e. an 18.3-times (2001) and Tairo (2013). increase). In 2006, tourism accounted for 240 17% of the country s GDP (United respect to particular attractions that they Republic of Tanzania, 2007, p.4) and the like to visit, is vital. Beach tourists, for revenues accrued has increased example, are not affected by changing substantially in 2011 (UNWTO, 2012). A wildlife migratory patterns of wildebeests. growing number of Tanzanians depends on Hence, a detailed history of tourism and tourism for their livelihoods either directly tourist destinations in Tanzania helps to or indirectly. understand the tourists motives and preferences, and the consequent changes or According to various studies (e.g. Curry, shifts in resource management. 1990; Kweka, 2003), scenic beauty, mega- fauna and other natural features are among Few studies compile historical information Tanzania's main tourist attractions. The on tourism and most of available studies biodiversity in protected areas, especially focus mainly on the number of tourist wildlife, account for most of the country's arrivals in economic and market analysis tourist attractions (Kweka et al, 2003). (Cater, 1987; Curry, 1990; Gössling, 2001; These protected areas (i.e. tourists Wade et al., 2001; Kweka et al., 2003; destinations), including the well-known Lindsey et al., 2007). Such economic snow-covered Mt. Kilimanjaro, analyses only explain the income accrued Ngorongoro Crater and the endless plains from tourist expenditures, but do not cover of the Serengeti, acted as tourist charms the motives and tourist preferences over well before the country s independence destinations or even the nature of the 1961 and still do today. These defining destination visited. Salazar (2008), for features of Tanzanian tourism are under example, described the general pressure from a range of factors, including characteristics of tourism in Tanzania, but climate change, biodiversity loss and land focused only on a small part of the country grabbing. These factors likely alter the the Northern Circuit reviewing spatial and temporal distribution of wildlife governance issues and ignored the tourist attractions. For example, herds of changing role of the attractions of the early animals may change their migratory nineteenth century to contemporary behaviour, migrating in different seasons or periods. Chachage (1999) focused mainly following different routes (Gereta, 2009). on the functions of Big International Non- Ice sheets on Mt Kilimanjaro are projected Governmental Organisations (BINGOs), to disappear within decades (Thompson, like the IMF and World Bank, in 2002; Agrawala et al., 2003; Hemp, 2005). stimulating tourist arrivals since the early The implications of these anticipated 1980s. Wildlife safari destinations in changes to wildlife tourist destinations in Tanzania actually already have a history of Tanzania are unknown. The actual more than two centuries and we have implications vary depending on the size and shown through our analysis that tourist distribution of the Protected Area, tourist motives and preferences have changed over motives and tourist preferences over time time. Limited details and analysis is, (e.g. supply and demand). This study does however, available on the processes behind not only consider the actual environmental these changes. Yet, this historical details trends and projections but also trends in and analysis are necessary to understand tourism demand. Therefore, sufficient Tanzanian wildlife tourism's current state- insight into the motives tourists that visit of-affairs as well as its coping capacity to Tanzania, and into their preferences with manage risks. Our analysis therefore can 241 help to define management possibilities to of this comprehensive history and the map guarantee a sustainable future for of wildlife safari tourists destinations in Tanzanian tourism. Tanzania. This paper aims to profile international The Colonial period tourist arrivals in Tanzania in terms of their motives and preferred activities. We have Long before the advent of European identified the factors that contribute to the explorers in the second half of the proliferation of protected areas and created nineteenth century, Arab traders travelled a visual interactive map of the distribution through the African Great Lakes region, and evolution of tourist destinations including Tanganyika, Pemba and Unguja covering a period of two centuries, starting (which together formed Tanzania in 1964), immediately before the colonial era (i.e. in search of ivory and slaves. The promise early nineteenth century) and ending today. of abundant resources also attracted the attention of European explorers. Famous Two hundred years ago, tourism was not explorers, including Mungo Park, David well defined. Although several tourism Burton, and David Livingston, travelled definitions exist we adopted the broad through various parts of Africa for definition by UNWTO and UNSTAT explorations and discoveries. Their (1994) to cater for various tourism motives travelling aimed to gather information on and preferences over two centuries. resources, particularly ivory, and places Tourism is defined as those activities with scenic beauty. Lured by the abundance deployed by tourists during the course of of resources that explorers discovered, their journey and their stay in places European powers became interested in the situated outside their usual environment. region and started colonisation. Britain and Hence, we considered wildlife discovery, Germany divided East Africa among scenic beauty explorations, wildlife hunting themselves in 1880s. Tanganyika became a (for either trophy or sport), and game German colony. An Arab sultanate settled viewing as forms of tourism. In addition, in Unguja and Pemba (since 1964 we adopted Leiper (1979) definition of Zanzibar) already in 1698 and stayed for tourist destination as locations or places, over 190 years (i.e. 1698-1892). which attract tourists to stay temporarily to conduct tourism activities. In our study, In 1890, the Arab Sultanate governance hunting and game reserves, national parks ended with the signing of the Heligoland- and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are Zanzibar Treaty, in which Germany agreed all tourist destinations. to recognize the British protectorate over the islands of Unguja and Pemba We first discuss tourism in the colonial era (GermanTreaty, 1890). In Zanzibar, followed by an in-depth discussion of European governance ended slave trade. As tourism in the post-colonial era. These slave trade is outside the scope of this discussions show how motives and historical review, the remaining part of the preferences have changed considerably review focuses on the developments of over time and are then used to annotate a Tanganyika (i.e. mainland Tanzania) and map with the evolution and distribution of its wildlife resources. The next section of Tanzanian wildlife tourists destinations. the historical developments in tourist Finally, this paper concludes on the utility destinations therefore covers tourism 242 developments under German and British landscapes and wildlife were inspired by rule, and ends with tourism during World stories told by explorers and travellers. War II and

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