Tanzania targets the power of British soccer to market its tourism

The Black Cats
The Black Cats
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Targeting to attract more Britons to visit its premier attractions, Tanzania is looking at leading British football matches as a medium of exposing wildlife and other tourist attractions to a magnitud

Targeting to attract more Britons to visit its premier attractions, Tanzania is looking at leading British football matches as a medium of exposing wildlife and other tourist attractions to a magnitude of British outbound holiday makers.

Under a new partnership arrangement, Tanzania has partnered with Sunderland AFC (Black Cats) to publicize Tanzania as a tourist destination in Africa and on the development of a soccer training center in Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam.

A special function was held in London recently to cement a partnership between Sunderland and the Tanzania Tourist Board, and attract British football fans and other soccer fanatics to book a safari itinerary to Tanzania.

Through Destination Partner in Tourism and Sports Development, Sunderland AFC will apply the power of soccer in promoting the sweepingly stunning tourist attractions available in Tanzania to a global audience through British television networks, sports magazines, and online media outlets.

Applying the power of soccer, Sunderland AFC expressed its continuing plans to strengthen links with the African continent on promoting the rich tourist attractions, made up of wildlife, history, diversified cultures, and nature.

Sunderland AFC also partnered with South African Airways (SAA) to provide a complimentary trip to the lucky soccer fans to visit Tanzania and experience the African savannah.

SAA will provide a free return ticket to a lucky winner of a special designed competition, and a week-long safari to Tanzania which will cover a visiting itinerary to premier attractions including the Indian Ocean Island of Zanzibar and Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania.

This exclusive prize includes tickets for four people on SAA flights.

During its recent warm-up match with the Chelsea Football Club in London, the Black Cats players wore special t-shirts with Tanzania tourist images and catchwords ahead of the clash.

The Black Cats 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 this African country.

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.

During the last Barclays Premier League in the UK, there were an estimated 4.7 billion soccer fans watching the league directly through television screens in 200 countries, pulling several countries including Tanzania to partner with British teams to market their products and tourism.

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 the Invest in Africa project 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.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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