Donald Trump Junior, the eldest son of the former President of the United States, Mr. Donald Trump, was in Africa last week on vacation.
He visited key tourist sites and hotspots in Tanzania. Mr. Donald Trump Junior visited a game reserve near Lake Natron, which is under the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) in Longido District, Arusha region.
While in Tanzania, Mr. Trump’s son held talks with the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr. Mchengerwa, who informed him about tourism development and opportunities in Tanzania. Mr. Mchengerwa took the chance then requested Mr. Trump Junior to become a tourism ambassador of Tanzania in the United States.
The minister took the opportunity and said that Tanzania has been endowed with many tourist attractions. He told Mr. Trump Junior about the direction of which Tanzania tourism sector and various investment opportunities available to the American investors and tourists. The Minister said:
“We have a good direction towards promoting tourism and attracting more tourists by improving tourism services, including the infrastructure of game reserves.”
Tanzania government is now searching and attracting potential and rich American safari hunters, targeting the growing game hunting tourism market in the United States of America. The country has focused on attracting high-spending tourists, such as those who pay many US dollars to go on hunting safaris of big game (wild animals). A 21-day (3-week) full hunting safari would cost about US$60,000 excluding flights, gun import permits. and trophy fees. Professional hunters booked to Tanzania are mostly Americans (USA) citizens where each hunter spends over $14,000 to $20,000 for 10 to 21 days spent in hunting expedition.
The United States lifted a ban on importation of wildlife trophies from Tanzania a few years ago to allow American hunters to visit Tanzania for hunting safaris. The US government had earlier in 2014 imposed a ban on all wildlife related products (trophies) from Tanzania after serious poaching incidents reported by the American media and wildlife protection campaigners.
During his visit to Tanzania in 2013, former US President Barrack Obama issued a Presidential Executive Order to fight wildlife poaching in Tanzania and other African countries threatened with poaching. Big game hunting is currently a thriving business in Tanzania where hunting companies attract wealthy tourists to carry out expensive safari expeditions for big-game hunting in Game Reserves. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is now supporting Tanzania to develop Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) as part of the American support in tourism sector.
