Tanzania steps up tourism promotion ahead of AFCON
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is continuing to use the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as an opportunity to promote the country internationally through the Destination Tanzania campaign, under which it has invited journalists and content creators from various countries to experience first-hand the country’s tourism attractions, culture and preparations for the tournament.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hassan Abbas, said this in Dar es Salaam while receiving journalists and content creators from the United States, Canada, South Africa, France and the United Kingdom.
He said the seven-day visit is intended to enable the visitors to tour various tourism attractions and witness preparations for AFCON, so that they can use their platforms to convey messages about Tanzania to international markets.
“Through this visit, Tanzania seeks to leverage the influence of these journalists and content creators to communicate information about tourism, sports, culture and other opportunities available in the country to large audiences outside Tanzania,” Dr Abbas said.
During his talks with the visitors, Dr Abbas invited them to return to the country to witness and promote the AFCON tournament as well as Tanzania’s experience as a host.
For his part, John Jackson, a Tanzanian who was involved in inviting the visitors to the country, said the visit is intended to enable them to get a closer understanding of Tanzania and gain first-hand experience that will help them create engaging content for their audiences.
“These visitors will, during their seven-day stay, tour various tourism destinations, including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro, Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, while also getting an opportunity to see sports infrastructure,” Jackson said.
Acting Director of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Dr Theresa Mugobi, said the Destination Tanzania campaign aims to increase awareness of the country’s various tourism attractions and opportunities.
She said the participation of journalists and content creators in promoting Tanzania could help deliver the tourism message to various markets through the media and social media platforms.
The visitors are Sara Poraria from Canada, Karina Bermudez from the United States, Geneefah Lee from South Africa, Alizee Morat from France, and Adam Britton and Cameroon James from the United Kingdom.
