THE WORLD IS BEGINNING TO SEE WHAT TAWA WAS ENTRUSTED TO PROTECT

📍 The best is yet to come.

✍️ By Beatus Maganja

Ten years ago, the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) began its journey after being entrusted with the enormous responsibility of managing and conserving a significant portion of Tanzania’s wildlife resources.

Today, as TAWA marks its 10th year since officially beginning operations in 2016, Selous Game Reserve has been named Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2026, while Mpanga-Kipengere has won the award for Africa’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2026 at the World Travel Awards (WTA).

For us, these trophies do not simply say that we have won. They raise a much bigger question: if all this has been achieved in the first 10 years, what could the next 10 years bring?

The victory by Mpanga-Kipengere offers an important lesson. This is a destination that has not yet received the same level of exposure in major international tourism markets as some of Africa’s long-established attractions. Yet, it managed to emerge victorious in a competition featuring some of the continent’s biggest names.

This makes TAWA ask an important question: Could the value of some of the destinations under our management be greater than the level at which we have so far managed to present them to the world?

That is why, following these victories, we are not only asking, “Which other awards can we win?” We are asking, “Which other destination under our management has the world not yet seen in its full potential?”

TAWA’s areas of responsibility are home to wildlife, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountains, valleys and vast natural landscapes that have remained largely untouched by human activities. These resources have the potential to support a wide range of tourism experiences.

Mpanga-Kipengere has taught us that sometimes the challenge is not the absence of an outstanding attraction, but rather giving that attraction a platform that matches its true value.

For TAWA’s Acting Conservation Commissioner, Mlage Y. Kabange, receiving the awards in Zanzibar was more than simply accepting trophies on behalf of the Authority. The international recognition increases the responsibility to ensure that the visibility achieved today is translated into marketing opportunities, improved services, infrastructure, investment and, ultimately, more visitors.

An award becomes even more meaningful when its impact moves beyond the stage and into the economy.

That is why the statement by the Chairperson of the TAWA Board of Directors, Major General (Retired) Hamis R. Semfuko, urging Tanzanians to prepare for another “big impact” next year carries a broader meaning.

That “big impact” does not necessarily have to mean another trophy. It could mean the discovery and promotion of another attraction, new investment opportunities, or a destination that is currently absent from the itineraries of many tourists beginning to gain attention in international markets.

In this journey, TAWA is not alone. Under the policy direction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, these achievements provide an opportunity to further strengthen Tanzania’s position as a leading tourism destination.

As more attractions gain international recognition, Tanzania will have more reasons for tourists to visit, explore multiple destinations, stay longer and contribute more significantly to the national economy.

Therefore, as we look at these trophies in TAWA’s 10th year, we do not see them as symbols of having arrived. We see them as signs of what is yet to be discovered.

Selous and Mpanga-Kipengere have opened the curtain, but behind it lies a wealth of other treasures waiting for their moment.

The first 10 years have taken us onto Africa’s tourism stage. Now, as we begin another decade, we are left with a new question:

If the world has started to see what we have, is it ready to see what remains?