By ADAM IHUCHA-- Eyes of all tourism stakeholders are today gazing towards Arusha where a three-day annual East Africa’s premier travel industry event—Karibu Travel market Tanzania 2014 – (Karibu TMT) starts.

The Karibu TMT, owned by the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), is undoubtedly the second largest tourism show in Africa after South Africa’s Indaba.

Like Indaba, Karibu TMT is also registered with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The theme of this year’s show, to be held at the Heron Recreation Center near Arusha airport, is ‘Sustainable Conservation’. According to Karibu TMT committee chairperson, Vesna Glamočanin Tibaijuka, the theme is in line with Tato’s policy that highlights the need to focus on wildlife conservation and security.

Lately, Tato has been in the forefront of lots of conservation initiatives, specifically the provision of education and leading relevant discussion forums on sustainable conservation and wildlife security of which the Karibu TMT has also acted as one of the forums.

Karibu TMT will also include a music concert by Tanzanian poet and artiste Mrisho Mpoto, who will present his hit song ‘Deni La Hisani’ (A Debt of Courtesy), a public call for action to end poaching in Tanzania – Sunday, 8th June.

According to Ms Tibaijuka, the show will also host a leading conservationist Guest Speaker, Dr Paula Kahumbu for a pre-Cocktail Talk.

There will be a Community-based conservation that will involve display and talks with speakers from successful projects mitigating human-wildlife conflict in East Africa, she says.

“More importantly, there will be the launch of Tato anti-poaching Song as well as Children and Conservation corners where educational DVDs for nature and for kids will be introduced,” she said.

This year’s fair is expected to attract more than 8,000 visitors from EAC partner states, South Africa, China, the US and Europe.

Preparations for the Karibu 2014 ‘grand opening’ are ready with organizers saying this year’s show will be ‘remarkable’ as it has attracted exhibitors as far away as Asia for the first time.

According to the tentative programme, the first day of Karibu TMT will be exclusively for the travel trade, while the remaining two days will be open to the general public for interactive sessions with exhibitors.