Tanzania: Chinese Firm to Invest in Tz Tourism Sector

CHINA National Travel Service Group Corporation (CTS) is planning to invest in Tanzania's tourism sector by constructing hotels on the Mainland and Zanzibar.

According to Tanzania's Ambassador to China, Mr Mbelwa Kairuki, the corporation will also help promote Tanzania's tourism industry through its websites and online travel platforms.

CTS Deputy Managing Director Dr Lu Youqing expressed the commitment to invest in the country

during discussions he held with Ambassador Kairuki in Hong Kong over the weekend.

Dr Lu, who served as Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania for several years, said CTS had wide experience in the tourism industry, adding that it was in their best interests to spread the company's tentacles to Tanzania for the sectoral growth.

With over 200 tourist hotels, CTS, through its subsidiaries, engages in tourism culture, tourism, real estate, tourism finance, and related businesses in Hong Kong and internationally.

Among other activities, CTS operates 2,500 travel agencies and an online travel platform, owns and manages a network of hotels, operates a man-made theme park, leisure resorts, cross-border land and water passenger transport ships, a performing arts venue, and scenic cableway projects.

Others are duty-free shops in airports, onboard aircraft, borders, passenger terminals, train stations, foreign shipping supplies, diplomats, cruise ships, and cities.

At the end of last December, Tanzania launched a marketing campaign in China to attract business travellers and tourists from the Asian giant.

Senior officials of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the national airline and key tourism institutions visited China in December to market the country's attractions.

The officials visited Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chengdu and Beijing. Records show in 2017, Tanzania received 30,000 Chinese tourists and in 2019 the country expects 10,000 more.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) already exists between TTB and Touchroad International Holdings Group of China to market Tanzania's tourist attractions in key Chinese cities.

China has cited eight African countries as suitable tourist destinations for the Chinese, among them Tanzania. Others are Kenya, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Zambia