Tanzania bets on S. Korea as key tourism market with Seoul road show

"Tanzania seeks to build stronger business-to-business partnerships with Korea, attract more tourists and increase investment in our tourism sector."

Noel Emmanuel Kaganda, Tanzania's ambassador to South Korea, made the remarks Monday at the Tanzania Tourism Board Mega Road Show 2026, held at the Sapphire Ballroom of Lotte Hotel Seoul. Kaganda said Tanzania and South Korea had achieved remarkable results across a wide range of fields — including infrastructure, education, healthcare, ICT, agriculture, and trade and investment. He described the event as a strong signal of Tanzania's intent to extend that cooperation into cultural exchange and people-to-people connectivity.

The Tanzanian Embassy in Seoul and the Tanzania Tourism Board co-hosted the event to step up Tanzania's push into the Korean travel market and expand business networking between the two countries' tourism industries. The road show opened in Seoul before moving to Busan on Wednesday and wrapping up on Jeju Island on Friday.

Tanzania comprises 31 administrative zones, with Dodoma as its administrative capital and Dar es Salaam as its commercial hub. The country's tourism sector has posted steady growth, with arrivals rising 24.3 percent year-on-year in 2023. The Tanzanian government is now pursuing a "Go East" strategy to open up Asian markets and has identified South Korea as one of its top-priority target countries.

In his opening remarks, Kaganda called South Korea "an increasingly important tourism market for Tanzania," noting that the country welcomed 9,468 Korean visitors last year. He added that he hoped Korean travel agencies would work closely with local Tanzanian operators to develop innovative travel packages, and encouraged investors to explore the wide opportunities in Tanzania's dynamic tourism and hospitality industry.

Beyond developing Korea-tailored travel packages, the Tanzanian government is focused on attracting Korean investment across the broader tourism sector, including accommodation, transportation and aviation. To that end, it has offered a range of incentives — project-based tax exemptions, capital deductions and other fiscal benefits.

George Joel, a senior tourism officer at the Tanzania Tourism Board, said the country needed more investment and particularly hoped Korean airlines would launch routes to Tanzania. He said investment opportunities were open across accommodation, transportation, aviation, education and training, conference tourism and business operations, with corresponding incentives available in each area.

The event also offered a detailed showcase of Tanzania's major tourism assets and regional characteristics. The country manages about 32 percent of its total land area for tourism and conservation purposes, encompassing 21 national parks and protected areas. Seven of those sites hold UNESCO World Heritage status and enjoy global recognition — among them Serengeti National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Selous Game Reserve, the ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, the Kondoa rock art sites, and the Stone Town of Zanzibar.

The Tanzanian government is also working to diversify its tourism base by shifting investment from the traditionally dominant northern circuit toward the southern and central regions. Safari tourism has long centered on the northern circuit — a cluster of parks including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara — but infrastructure investment is now being concentrated in the south, covering runways, roads and accommodation. To improve access to central Tanzania, the government plans to open Msalato International Airport in September.

The event also announced an upcoming international gathering drawing global buyers: the 9th Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITI 2026), held annually in Tanzania each October, is scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam from Oct. 23.

Kaganda said Tanzania offers rich cultural experiences — traditional music, art and cuisine drawn from more than 120 tribal communities — that go well beyond its natural wonders. "Tanzania is not just a place to visit briefly, but a place where you always feel welcomed, like a second home," he said, expressing hope that the road show would help forge partnerships that create value for businesses in both countries.