DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's forest watchdog on Monday launched beekeeping tourism in Kalambo district in the Rukwa region of the southern highlands to expose tourists to honey production. Daniel Dotto, a senior official with the state-run Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), said the government had established a farm and distributed 500 bee hives in Kalambo to develop beekeeping tourism. A tourist would be exposed to beekeeping activities, including honey production, in the farm where one would also learn the ecology of beekeeping, said Dotto. Ibrahim Mkiwa, TFS chief conservation officer, said introducing beekeeping tourism was part of efforts to support the government in promoting its abundant tourist attractions. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, tourism contributes 17.2 percent to Tanzania's gross domestic product (GDP) and 29 percent to Zanzibar's GDP. The sector accounts for 25 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings, creating 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs.
