By Apolinari Tairo
Published September 12, 2013

kilimanjaroTanzania is looking at wooing Southeast Asian tourists through a tourism promotional centre to be established in South Korea in mid October 2013.

In a memorandum of understanding signed between Tanzania Tourist Board and Africa Future Forum of South Korea, Tanzania is expected to open a tourist promotion centre in South Korea, targeting tourists from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Tanzania Tourist Board Managing Director, Aloyce Nzuki, says Tanzania is widening her tourism marketing strategies to attract tourists from the new markets in Asia, mostly the Southeast Asian states.

Saying Tanzania–that currently receives 3,000 South Korean tourists annually–had once relied on tourists from traditional markets of Europe and North America, Dr Nzuki said the country was now broadening the scope her scope with South Korea being one of the focus markets.

“As we look for newer markets in Asia and beyond, we have decided to partner with Africa Future Forum. We are preparing a programme for the next 12 months and together we will implement it,” Dr Nzuki says.

The centre in South Korea will also be used to woo tourism investors into Tanzania.

Chris Incheul Chae,the Secretary General of Africa Future Forum, says Tanzania badly needs aggressive marketing blitz to expose her potential in South Korea and other Asian states.

“It is my belief that Tanzania has the most beautiful natural environment in Africa and with great efforts, we must modernise the tourism industry by tourism cluster improvements,” he says.

Mount Kilimanjaro climbing and photographic safaris in the Serengeti National Park are some of the tourist attractions which most Koreans are looking forward to experiencing while planning a safari to Tanzania.

Tanzania is also exploring ways of attracting tourists from China and Japan.

An eTurboNews article.