Tanzania targets British tourists through sports

Looking to attract more Britons and other European tourists, Tanzania has gone into partnership with Sunderland AFC in tourism promotion campaign.

Looking to attract more Britons and other European tourists, Tanzania has gone into partnership with Sunderland AFC in tourism promotion campaign.

During the recent Barclays Premier League in London, Sunderland AFC players wore special t-shirts Tanzaniaโ€™s tourist images and catchwords ahead of the clash with Liverpool.

Sunderland AFC players took to the field in the pre-game warm up sporting shirts emblazoned with the โ€œVisit Tanzaniaโ€ logo as part of the ground breaking campaign.

The team has already developed close links with Tanzania, through providing technical and practical support to the development of the football academy project, the first of its kind in the country. โ€จโ€จ

The project will see thousands of youngsters benefit from a joined up approach combining football, education and community engagement, harnessing the knowledge and expertise of Sunderland AFC and its own successful Academy.

Sunderland AFC Chief Executive, Margaret Byrne, said, โ€œWe are delighted to further strengthen our links with Tanzania with this exciting new partnership.โ€

โ€œWe are very much looking forward to working with the people of Tanzania to promote their beautiful country to a wider audience and to also support the development of its football infrastructure,โ€ Byrne added.

Managing Director of the Tanzanian Tourism Board, Dr. Aloyce Nzuki, said Tanzania his Board was pleased to be working in partnership with Sunderland AFC, a club with a growing reputation in the African continent.

โ€œWe recognize the power of the Barclays Premier League in terms of global reach and aim to utilize this passion to showcase Tanzania and what we have to offer,โ€ Dr. Nzuki said.

โ€œOur largest proportion of visitors are generated from the UK and we look forward to working with Sunderland AFC to grow this over the coming years,” he noted.

Tanzania has become the official destination partner of Sunderland AFC.

Tourism is a key factor in the upward growth of the Tanzanian economy and the partnership aims to use the global reach of the Barclays Premier League to promote the country as a tourist destination, Dr. Nzuki said.

Premier League football is watched in over 200 countries, with accumulative audience of a phenomenal 4.7 billion, making it the most watched sporting league in the world.

Tanzania enjoys some of the worldโ€™s most beautiful landscapes including three of Africaโ€™s natural wonders, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater of which officials are hoping to attract the Premier League fans.

This partnership will provide an unrivalled opportunity for us to showcase Tanzania to the world, he noted.

Sunderland AFC has established itself as one of the most recognized English clubs across Africa in recent seasons.

The team has been linked up with Invest in Africa in January 2012, affording a springboard to the ground-breaking not-for-profit initiative to promote Africa as a leading investment destination and actively challenge misconceptions about investing in the continent.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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