Evaluation of the implementation of the Tanzania tourism policy strategies

The Tanzania tourism sector has been doing significantly well in the past few years outperforming other sectors in the country’s economy. The increased growth in the sector is attributed to the reforms that were made to the country’s tourism policy in 1999 to cope up with the changes in the global tourism market. Despite tourism contribution to the country’s economy, Tanzania is yet to realize its full potential in becoming a favored tourist destination. This has raised questions on the effectiveness of the implementation of the country’s tourism policy and its strategies and its impact on the sector. This study sought to evaluate the implementation of the Tanzania tourism policy strategies in Product Development and Marketing, Domestic tourism, as well as Regional and International Cooperation, in an attempt to gauge their effectiveness in achieving its objectives. The study also looked at the challenges facing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in implementing these strategies with a view to attain positive change in the Tanzania tourism sector. The study employed the use of the McKinsey 7-S framework as well as some of the frameworks and approaches used to study implementation of public policies in the literature review section to analyze factors that may lead to the success or failure of strategy implementation. A comparison was also made between Tanzania and Kenya to measure performance in the sector and reveal the missing gap if any. A qualitative research was carried out to determine what has so far been done by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in implementing the policy strategies. The empirical results obtained over the period between 1999 to date revealed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has not put enough effort to ensure effective implementation of its policy strategies despite the significant progress that has been made over the years in the country’s tourism sector. The study came to a conclusion that there is still much that needs to be done to the sector in making Tanzania a favored tourist destination and that the challenges facing the ministry in the implementation of its policy strategies can only be resolved through proper implementation and the adoption of a new policy framework.