Tanzania Targets Chinese Tourist Market

Tanzania is now targeting China as a new and an upcoming lucrative tourist market source in South East Asia after the traditional tourist market sources of Europe, North America and South Africa. A team of senior officials from Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Ministry of Tourism, tourist companies and other stakeholders visited China in November 2018 to market Tanzania’s tourism in Beijing and other leading, key Chinese cities.

The Tanzania officials had visited and organized tourism road shows in five Chinese cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chengdu and Beijing. With the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam, TTB is now looking to promote Tanzania tourism in China through exchange programmes involving journalists as well, officials said.

The Board (TTB) had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Touchroad International Holdings Group of China to market Tanzania’s tourist attractions in key Chinese cities. Touchroad Group has inked a deal with Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) that will see the Chinese company sending about 10,000 tourists to Tanzania this year, TTB officials said.

The Tourism Board has been participating to various tourism fairs and exhibitions in China, aiming to expose Tanzania’s tourist products, mainly wildlife, the Indian Ocean beaches and historical sites. The Board is currently working with the government of Tanzania to market conference tourism as a new tourist product. China is on top among the world nations which Tanzania is looking to attract for conferences.

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) is a new tourist product that TTB is working to attract through its marketing campaigns in China. Tanzania has been recognized and approved by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) headquarters in Beijing as one among the countries worth visiting by Chinese holidaymakers.

TTB had launched a market drive to showcase Tanzania’s wildlife, cultural heritage sites, Mount Kilimanjaro, historical sites, and the Indian Ocean beaches to the Chinese tourist market. Other African tourist destinations wrapped up for Chinese tourists are Kenya, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, and Zambia.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has rated China among the leading tourist source market in the world. Tanzania is as well looking to attract Chinese investors in accommodation and hospitality sector to build hotels, lodges and other such facilities that would offer Chinese cuisine.

Chinese tourists to Tanzania rose to 30,000 last year from 13,760 counted in the previous five years. The Chinese tourist market is now an optional strategy which Tanzania is looking to capture in addition to traditional markets, mostly the United States, Europe, Japan and South Africa.