Tanzania's minister of natural resources and tourism announces 2010 tourism honorees

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the 2010 honorees of the prestigious Tanzania Tourist Board's (TTB) annual awards were announced by the Hon. Shamsa S. Mwangunga, MP, Tanzania’s minister for natural resources and tourism, and out-going president of the Africa Travel Association (ATA). The announcement took place at the Gala Tanzania Tourism Dinner on May 17 at the Sheraton Gambia Hotel. The Tanzania award dinner has become a celebrated tradition and one of the highlights of the annual ATA Congress.

Notable among the honorees was MTV News and Docs, named winner of the Tanzania Tourism Media Broadcast Award, in recognition of its one-and-half hour documentary on the “Summit on the Summit” Kilimanjaro Celebrity Climb aired nationwide on March 14, 2010.

Other honorees included: Dar Guide, Media Print Award; Zara Tours, Tour Operator Humanitarian Award; Africa Adventure Consultants, Tour Operator Southern/Western Tourism Circuit; Immersion Journeys, Tour Operator New Product Development Award; and Asilia Africa’s Sayari Camp, Sustainable Tourism /Camps Award.

TANZANIA TOURISM BOARD TOUR OPERATOR HUMANITARIAN AWARD 2010:
ZARA TOURS

Tanzania-based Zara Tours, through Zara Charities, has created unique initiatives that benefit the local communities. Zara Tours itself donates US$15 to these charities for every client booked on Zara Tours. In addition to the diverse range of local projects that have been funded by Zara Charities, it also created in 2004 and provides funds to the Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society to ensure the health and safety of all the porters. Zara Tours also created a volun-tourism add-on to its safaris of two or three days to encourage its clients to work on local projects.