CCTV LIVE COVERAGE ON WILDEBEEST MIGRATION CAPTURES THE ATTENTION OF CHINESE

By Pascal Shelutete in Beijing

Tanzanian delegation (left) in a discussion with official from the Chinese National Tourism Administration in Beijing China

Live coverage of the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration by the China Central Television attracts Chinese to visit the country as tourists. This was said yesterday by the Vice Chairman of the Chinese National Tourism Administration Mr. Zhu Shanzhong to a visiting Tanzanian delegation.

Mr. Shanzhong said that Serengeti National Park where a number of live coverage of the wildebeest migration has been done since January this year, is now becoming popular to the Chinese population and expressed his hope that the move would increase the number of Chinese visiting Tanzania as tourists in the near future. 

He further said that the recent visit to Tanzania by the Chinese president HE Xi Jinping has exposed the country in China and the international community and wrapped up by saying that its uniqueness in natural attractions must propel the country to fight for a big share of the lucrative Chinese outbound tourism market.

In responding to the earlier request by the Tanzania delegation on training and capacity building areas in the tourism sector, Mr. Shanzhong said that National Tourism Administration of China together with their counterpart in Tanzania will prepare Memorandum of Understanding which will be signed in the near future and which will categorically specify areas of cooperation in terms of assistance and cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, Mr. Shanzhong lobbied for the support of Tanzanian government in approving the Chinese language to become one of the official languages in the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). An approval from more than half of the member countries is needed for a language to be approved as official language. Tanzanian delegation led by the Director of Tourism Mr. Ibrahim Mussa promised to support the Chinese move before the coming UNWTO General Assembly that will be held in Zambia and Zimbabwe in August this year.