I just liked this article and thought I should share it with you. Please find the email address of the writer at the end of the article should you want a chit-chat or for some more info on what else transpired during their course of stay in Tanzania or an opinion on what you might need to improve on, especially if you an employer or employee in the tourism and hospitality industry. We learn from the mistakes and take constructive criticism positively in order to advance. We should stop being too defensive especially when there is some truth in the story. By RASNA WARAH, December 27 2009 THE GENERAL CONSENSUS is that unlike Tanzanians, Kenyans tend to be a brash, crude and arrogant lot who don’t care much for niceties or politeness. It is a stereotype that has stuck, even though, in my opinion, most ordinary Kenyans are generally quite polite and have a high tolerance for bad behaviour, which means they don’t lash out or fight back when treated badly. The other stereotype is that Kenyans are always in a hurry and will never lose an opportunity to make a quick buck. This go-getting attitude has often been confused with greed. But after visiting Tanzania, I am beginning to wonder if it is not precisely this attitude that has kept the Kenyan economy going even in the worst of times. And nowhere is this more evident than in the hospitality industry. Like Kenya, Tanzania is blessed with physical beauty, ample wildlife and sandy beaches. In terms of tourism, it is Kenya’s closest rival after South Africa. But in terms of human resources, particularly in the hospitality and services industries, it lags way behind Kenya. My own experience during a short visit to Dar es Salaam was enough to convince me that Kenyan hotels need not fear competition from Tanzania because they manage to do one critical thing right — they train their staff to respond to a clients’ needs. In Dar es Salaam, I could barely get the attention of the receptionist at the front desk of the hotel, nor could I expect things that I take for granted in Kenyan hotels, such as room service. At first I thought it was because I did not use the magic word “Naomba” often enough. But repeated use of the word did not yield results. On its Website, the hotel claimed to be four-star, but the only four-star thing about it was the clean, crispy bed sheets and the bathtub. The owner clearly had big ambitions, but failed on the small details. For instance, there was no bedside lamp for reading in the room and the TV had only one international channel. In the dining area, there were too few waiters, and it was almost impossible to get their attention. Quite often it was difficult to predict exactly when dinner would be served as it varied from any time between 7 and 9pm. This was extremely frustrating for the clients with small children. The décor and design of the hotel also left a lot to be desired. The swimming pool area, for instance, was stripped of all trees, which made swimming unpleasant as the water heated up to almost 30 degrees in the blazing sun. MY SWEDISH COLLEAGUES WHO were staying in the same hotel were even more frustrated. A few of them almost missed their ferry to Zanzibar because the taxi-driver booked the day before arrived an hour later than expected. Do I sound like an arrogant self-righteous Kenyan? Maybe. But I highlight these shortcomings, not because I want to feel smug about Kenya, but because I think Tanzania is going to lose a lot of tourism revenue if it continues like this. We can’t entirely blame Tanzanians for the state of their hospitality industry. Until the early 1990s, the country operated like most socialist states with a heavily subsidised and centralised systems that left little room for risk-taking and innovation. This meant that a civil service mentality pervaded all industries. When the economy was liberalised, it was not accompanied by human resources development. People were not trained to compete in the free market system. For instance, Tanzania has no training college for hotel staff. There is no Utalii College, as in Kenya, that churns out chefs, waiters, receptionists or housekeepers. Moreover, the Tanzanian economy is heavily donor-dependant, which has created its own problems. I was told, for instance, that the Tanzanian participants in the conference I was attending expected to receive a daily allowance simply for being there. This would be unheard of in Kenya, especially if the conference is among peers belonging to the same profession. Donor dependence has created a citizenry that looks to foreigners to solve their problems. It has also stifled entrepreneurship and hindered economic development. Perhaps in the spirit of the East African Community (and the future political federation), Kenya could offer Tanzania a helping hand through training of people working within the hospitality industry or via exchange programmes between hotels in both countries. In return, Tanzanians could instil in Kenyans a sense of solidarity or Utu. God knows, Kenya could use a dose of kindness and co-operation right now. rasna.warah@gmail.com CommentsSungu 27/12/2009 9:19pm
As much as it saddens me, I have to agree. Tanzanians leave a lot to be desired as regards to seriousness and competitiveness. Huyu jamaa aache arragance yake ya kikenya, hii ni mentality ya kizamani. 30/12/2009 4:45pm
Me and my wife (yes, we are Swedes) were on Zanzibar i April 09. We left with mixed experiences regarding service and hospitality. We stayed at a hotel two out of 21 nights on Z and probably got just what we payed for. But it was still something wrong almost everywhere. People wanted to help, assist and so forth. But they only did for the money, never out of sheer courtesy. Atleast that is how we see it now when back home in ice cold Sweden. Vitaly Kravchenko 02/02/2010 8:18am
I'll be heading to Kenya this April (is it a good time BTW? I read animals migrate during this time of the year, but don't know if this makes safari more exciting). I'm ok with "hospitality" as far as it is priced accordingly. But looks like Tanzania is pretty expensive. So is it really that bad it warrants this article? What hotel would you recommend? Akena Onyango 23/02/2010 11:22am
East Africans need to show more confidence in their abilities. Yes, Kenya has a larger tourism industry, but you also have ten times more of a chance of being raped, murdered, robbed on the streets, or in the mist of tribal politically inspired violence. njuga 25/01/2012 10:53am
I think a publisher of this article is talking about Tanzania of 1980s and early 1991. I have been in both Kenya and Tanzania, in terms of tourism attractions Tanzania is far ahead compare to Kenya. No game reserve in whole Africa compare to Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. I advice the author of this article to visit Tanzania now. Highest peak in Africa which was recently among the fiece contestor in world new seven wonders is in Tanzania. The attitude of Tanzanias has changed completely, now there are number not of colleges but universities offering tourism degrees. pendo 25/01/2012 11:05am
I read one article today in which economists predicted that by 2030 Tanzania will surpass Kenya in terms of economy. The growth of Tanzania economy is now a threat even to some Kenyan businesses. I think what made Tanzania to lag behind was socialism but now since they liberalized their economy there is high growth in every sector. I read in Kenyan newspaper, Mombasa port officer is complaining about loosing customers to Tanzanian Dar es Salaam port and the trend is likely to continue due to major expansion which is taking place in Dar port. Therefore I real see Tanzania is changing. Olduvai camp in Serengeti has been ranked in Paris, France as one of the best camps in Africa. Leave a Reply | Vitabu vya WatanzaniaBofya picha ya kitabu unachokitaka ili ujinunulie nakala
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