Ruaha to Introduce Boat Tourism Before December
Ruaha National Park is set to introduce boating safari tourism before this year ends, aiming to diversify attractions while boosting government revenues.
The Park’s Conservation Officer in the Tourism Department, Ms Amina Salum said the plan aim at attracting local and foreign visitors into the park.
“We have had many products that we offer to our visitors, but we are set to introduce more products to attract more tourists… one of them is boating safari tourism, which will be the second in the country,” she said.
At present, boating safaris for game-viewing operate in the Selous Game Reserve, where the Rufiji River, the Great Ruaha River, and numerous lakes give visitors a choice of many expeditions to choose from.
Ms Salum said Ruaha is set to invest in that area and the door was also open for the private sector. She was speaking to a delegation from Journalists Environmental Association (JET).
Boating through the great Ruaha River will offer visitors an opportunity to get out in the open and see tremendous amount of bird-life and water species.
Despite the proximity of crocodiles and hippos during water safaris, the expeditions are extremely safe, while the animals react with puzzled curiosity to the sight of boats on water.
In another development, the management of Ruaha National Park introduced sport fishing tourism in the park. She said recreational fisheries will help in attracting local and foreign tourists and create incentives to the government.
“The introduction of the new and unique tourism products in our park is to attract tourists from in and outside the country, it is also a way of creating investment opportunities in the park,” she said.
The park’s management has already identified areas with potential for hotel construction, lodges and other tourism facilities.
Currently Ruaha National Parks offer a variety of tourism products, such as balloon safaris, day and night game drives, walking safaris among others.
Source: Allafrica
Tags: boat tourism, ruaha national park
