Dar es Salaam, Tanzania named one of “52 Places to Go in 2014” by the New York Times

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s vibrant commercial capital and Indian Ocean Port, was named one of “52 Places to Go in 2014” by The New York Times in its Sunday Travel Section, January 12, 2014. Dar es Salaam, one of Africa’s fastest growing cities, is being recognized for its rich culture and colorful lifestyle.
An excerpt from The New York Times describes Dar es Salaam as, “An eclectic mix of music echoes through the beach clubs, open-air bars and nightclubs of this Indian Ocean coastal city. Old-school dance music competes with Swahili hip-hop and traditional drumming, all drawing from the city’s African, Indian and Arab influences. Add in the street food, the beaches and the fact that the year-old African low-cost carrier Fastjet uses Dar as its hub, and it’s easy to see that this commercial capital is more than a stopover on the way to Tanzania’s natural splendor.”

Dr. Aloyce K. Nzuki, Managing Director, Tanzania Tourist Board said, “We are pleased that Dar es Salaam, in addition to being the gateway for the southern safari circuit, is increasingly being recognized  as a major East African port, rich in history and bustling  with a diversity of activities and attractions. In fact, this was one of the major factors we took into consideration in selecting Dar es Salaam as the location for the first annual Swahili International Tourism Expo (S!TE -  www.site.co.tz), set to launch October 1-4, 2014.”

Dar es Salaam, as the gateway for all major airlines flying into Tanzania including KLM/DELTA, South African Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, is the country’s most accessible city. It has also experienced rapid growth in its hotel capacity including three well known American hospitality brands, Hyatt Regency, Doubletree by Hilton and Holiday Inn. Four more hotel properties that are currently on the drawing board and are expected to be managed by international hotel chains.

This is the third time in four years that Tanzania has made the annual The New York Times “Places to Go” list. In 2011, it was Zanzibar and in 2012, it was Tanzania (the destination).