Tanzania Tourism UK is developing an innovative matchmaking system to make international travel experts easier to find the ideal DMC or terrestrial operator in Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Tim Henshall from Ttuk explained the concept ahead of the development stage of the online portal. “I have placed myself in the minds of international tour operators attending trade shows. I will approach the Tanzania stand and face 20, 30 suppliers.
From the other side of the fence, it is also clear that for DMCS, it is actually more difficult to try and get into the market than the property. Therefore, this should provide a much more effective, efficient and transparent way to support this process.
With the help of Axiom Design's specialist digital arm, TTUK aims to create Umshenga (Matchmaker for Mathmaker Is Mshenga).
Think of an online dating app – put your likes and dislikes, think about what you ideally want, and a lot of information about yourself. Umshenga is the same, but that's all you're trying to marry an ideal DMC and tour operator. Both sides can set standards, and the more information (and targets) you enter, the more likely your match will be to perfection.
“Not everyone is looking for the same thing, so Umshenga should help buyers meet the right seller,” Ttuk spent months on various standards that both sides of such arrangements might apply to find the perfect partner.
For example, do small international operators want to take advantage of the purchasing strength and talent of Tanzania's huge DMC, or do they prefer ground handlers of the same size that are more important to the company? Everyone will become different, so who knows and Umshenga tries to respond to it.
The criteria include company sales, number of PAX per season, insurance coverage, specialization, language provided, size of fleet, year of operation, and more differentiation areas.
TTUK launched the pilot in August and will roll out long before anything like WTM London (November).
To catch up with development, see http://www.tanzaniatourism.uk/matchmaker
