Assessment of the Effects of Government Policies on The Development of Tourism Industry in Tanzania

Abstract

Meru District Council is facing the problem of poor development of tourism industry due to poor implementation of government policies related to this industry. In response to the problem, the current study aimed to assess the effects of government policies on the development of tourism industry in Tanzania. A case of Meru District Council. The study was guided by three specific objectives which were to; - evaluate the interdependence between government policies and investment in the tourism industry in Tanzania, identify the government policies implemented to promote the development of the tourism industry in Tanzania as well as examine the relationship between government policies and infrastructure development of the tourism industry in Tanzania. The study was guided by the two theories namely;- Policy diffusion theory and Sustainable Development theory to guide this study effectively. The study employed a mixed method case study design. The study involved a sample size of 144 respondents with stratified and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaire data were analyzed through descriptive statistics while interview data were analyzed through content analysis. The study findings discovered that there is close relationship between government policies and development of tourism industry in Tanzania. The government of Tanzania has tried to put an effort on policy formulation related to tourism activities however there is poor emphasis in their implementation resulting into unsatisfactory tourism investments as well as poor infrastructure systems. The study findings revealed most of the surveyed respondents strongly indicated that the government policies are real not implemented contrary to the expectations of stakeholders. The study concluded that basing on the study findings, this situation has been affected by several challenges such as poor government support and lack of awareness among the community and stakeholders. Thus the government must support effectively this industry by implementing the existing government policies and cooperate well with all tourism stakeholders. The study recommends policy makers at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to adhere the decentralization by devolution policy by allowing the tourism stakeholders to participate fully in the policy formulation process and implementation so as to enhance the development and growth of tourism industry in Tanzania.