JNIA wins again as Africa’s Travel Awards Cabinet Files for overtime

**DAR ES SLAAM: **WRITER’s block is not a small problem. It is a full delegation. This week it paid me a courtesy call. It arrived uninvited, sat in my best chair, crossed its legs, asked for tea with less sugar and then refused to leave until the deadline started breathing heavily on my neck.

But just when I had accepted defeat, packed my dignity in a plastic bag and prepared to write about the price of tomatoes, Zanzibar rescued me.

On August 28, at Diamonds Bijoux Resort in Bwejuu, the 33rd World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony unfolded in full splendour and Tanzania did not merely attend.

We arrived like a relative at a wedding who has already confirmed there will be pilau, soda, takeaway containers and a chair near the high table.

By the end of the evening, our country had collected so many honours that somebody should have called airport security to escort the trophies home before they exceeded the cabin baggage allowance.

First of all, Tanzania was named Africa’s Leading Destination 2026. Then the Tanzania Tourist Board retained Africa’s Leading Tourist Board for the fifth consecutive year. Kudos to new boss Ephrahim Mafuru.

Zanzibar took most beach honours. Serengeti remained Serengeti, which is to say it continued behaving like wildlife royalty. Kilimanjaro, as usual, won by simply standing there and being taller than everybody else without even campaigning. But allow me a little Dar es Salaam selfishness.

The trophy that made me put down my tea was this: Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) was once again named Africa’s Leading Airport. Yes, JNIA defeated Cape Town International, Jomo Kenyatta International and O.R. Tambo International. Again, ndugu zangu. Not once.

Twice. Back-to-back. Consecutive. Repeat dosage. At this rate, the trophy may soon stop asking for directions and simply tell the driver, “Terminal Three, tafadhali. I know the way.”

Winning once is dangerous because your rivals can call it luck or a fluke. They can say the judges were distracted, the Wi-Fi was down, or somebody served them a plate of ubwabwa with the persuasive power of a cabinet minister during budget season.

But winning twice is different. Winning twice means the cup has recognised your handwriting.

It means your enemies must stop whispering and start requesting minutes from the previous meeting. For years, this award enjoyed long holidays in South Africa and Kenya.

That is before 2025, when JNIA came politely, smiled, collected it and returned to Dar. Our rivals, naturally, assumed we had borrowed it for photographs. This year, they came back dressed properly, speeches rehearsed, victory faces ironed.

JNIA looked at them calmly, adjusted its tie and said, “Samahani, were you looking for this?”

Now I am looking for Madam Bertha Bankwa, Director of Julius Nyerere International Airport. Madam Bertha, please do not ignore my call.

I am not asking for a tender, a free upgrade, a VIP lounge card, or permission to park my tired car next to an Emirates aircraft so it can feel international. I only want the secret. What exactly is happening at JNIA?

Are the runways being washed at midnight with Zanzibar cloves? Are immigration officers being trained by people who smile even before breakfast?

Has the control tower hired Pep Guardiola to organise landing patterns? Or has the airport discovered the ancient aviation secret that passengers become peaceful when their luggage arrives on the same continent as they do? Of course, the victory is bigger than one airport.

Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA)’s work across the country may be sending invisible blessings towards Dar es Salaam.

Somewhere, the TAA Director General Anko Abdul Mombokaleo must be nursing his cheekbones after smiling from ear to ear for three whole days. Poor guy. That is not ordinary happiness; that is facial infrastructure under pressure.

Perhaps every upgraded runway in Sumbawanga, Shinyanga, Musoma and elsewhere sends one message to JNIA saying, “Big Sister, we have fixed our lights. Now go and embarrass Johannesburg again.”

Maybe Tanzanian airports even have a secret WhatsApp group where smaller stations report progress using too many emojis and one serious-looking thumbs up from headquarters.

Take, for instance, Arusha Airport, which has now joined the night shift after installing and testing runway lights. This is not a small development.

For years, darkness used to arrive there at 6pm and tell the airport, “Basi, close the shop.”

Now Arusha can look at sunset and reply, “You go home if you are tired; we still have passengers.”

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That is progress with attitude. Kilimanjaro International Airport also deserves applause. It stands between Arusha and Moshi with Mount Kilimanjaro watching over it like a very senior board chairman who says nothing during meetings but remembers everything.

Other airports welcome visitors with billboards. KIA welcomes them with Africa’s highest mountain.

That is not marketing; that is intimidation with snow on top. Still, let us not reduce this victory to jokes alone, tempting as that is. Big awards are not won by one person polishing one signboard.

They come from planning, investment, maintenance, safety, clean washrooms, working systems, patient workers and the beautiful miracle of a suitcase arriving where it was supposed to arrive.

The cleaner at 3am, the technician checking runway lights, the firefighter waiting quietly, the security officer watching screens and the ground handler saving your bag from relocating to Mumbai are all part of the trophy.

This is why JNIA’s second title matters. One trophy can be an accident. Two trophies suggest a system. They show that after the first win, people did not just print banners, eat cake, pose for photographs and return to sleeping on duty.

They defended the crown in the difficult places: queues, washrooms, baggage halls, control rooms and those emotional minutes when every suitcase appears except yours, as if your luggage has joined a different political party. And their other silver bullet is ‘Digital Transformation” that TAA boss Anko Mombokaleo introduced the moment he reported for duty two years ago.

He apparently knew that being Africa’s Leading Airport is a warning letter written in gold.

JNIA must now behave like a champion every day, including Monday mornings when three international flights arrive together, one baggage belt develops personal problems, and everybody suddenly remembers that their supervisor is attending a seminar in Morogoro.

That is when titles are truly defended, not beneath chandeliers in Zanzibar, but in queues, washrooms, control rooms, arrival halls and those tense minutes when a passenger watches every black suitcase emerge except his own red one.

Why? Well, once passengers hear such a title, they begin inspecting everything with the seriousness of parliamentary auditors.

The Wi-Fi must not connect only after boarding. A baggage belt must not behave like it is negotiating a coalition government.

Tea prices must not make travellers suspect they are buying shares in the airport. So, hongera sana to TAA, JNIA, Anko Mombokaleo, Madam Bertha Bankwa, TTB, Zanzibar, Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and every worker whose name will never appear on the trophy, but whose effort helped lift it.

Tanzania’s tourism machine is clearly not just running; it is running in polished shoes, carrying a passport and cracking jokes at immigration. Madam Bertha, I am still coming for the secret.

If you say the secret is digital transformation, discipline, teamwork and excellent passenger service, I will believe you. If you say Arusha’s new lights have been sending blessings southward, I will believe that as well.

And if you quietly admit that JNIA hired a tactical adviser from Jangwani to teach it how to win trophies season after season, well…. I promise to keep it between you, me, the trophy cabinet and everyone reading this column.

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