Mara RC heaps praise to Barrick's humanitarian assistance in aid of Musoma residents affected by recent rains

By Mara Online News Writer

Ruaha National Park in Iringa region is expected to witness an influx of tourists following Saturday's inauguration of Air Tanzania Companyt Limited (ATCL) Dar es Salaam-Iringa route, high-ranking officials in the tourism industry said.

They said the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) will greatly benefit from the ATCL Dar-Iringa route as many tourists destined for Ruaha National Park would now cover a reduced distance of 128 kms instead of the previous 400 kms they used to travel from the country's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, to Songwe Intetnational Airport in Mbeya and again connect to Ruaha National Park.

Ruaha is Tanzania's second largest national park after the world-famous Serengeti National Park, which attracts thousands of tourists worldwide.

Recently, Iringa's Nduli airport has undergone refurbishment to allow the landing of large aeroplanes as part of improving the transport sector.

Yesterday, at the ATCL Dar-Iringa route inaugural ceremony performed by Minister of Transport, Prof Makame Mbarawa, the Ruaha National Park head of conservation, Abel Mtui, held discussions with the ATCL Executive Director, Eng Peter Ulanga, on the podsibility of using the new Kiganga airport within the park upon completion in order to accelerate the growth of tourism in the area.