TANZANIA: WHEN the first supporters arrive in Tanzania for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, their experience of the tournament will begin long before the referee blows the opening whistle.
It will start with the ease of obtaining travel permission, the efficiency of immigration procedures, the welcome at the airport and the journey to their accommodation.
Beyond the stadiums, the availability of tourism attractions, local cuisine and cultural experiences could help determine whether the competition becomes a sporting spectacle or a wider opportunity for tourism and economic growth.
For Tanzania, which will co-host the tournament with Kenya and Uganda, the challenge is to ensure that preparations extend beyond football infrastructure to the entire visitor experience.
The tournament, scheduled for June 19 to July 17 next year, presents the three East African countries with an opportunity to showcase their destinations to an international audience.
For Tanzania, the preparations involve not only hosting matches but also ensuring that visiting supporters, players, officials and tourists can move around efficiently, access quality services and experience the country’s attractions.
Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has emphasised the importance of looking beyond football when assessing the tournament’s success.
During a meeting with the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Paul Makonda, Drogba said visitors should leave with positive memories of Tanzania regardless of whether their teams win the competition.
His message highlights an important consideration for the host country: A football tournament can attract international visitors, but the quality of their wider experience will influence how much they explore, spend and remember about the destination. “It’s not just about football. Football attracts business.
Football attracts tourism,” Drogba said, expressing readiness to work with Tanzania in its preparations.
The challenge, therefore, is to connect the different elements of readiness into one visitor experience, beginning with entry arrangements and extending to accommodation, tourism services and opportunities for local businesses.
Easing entry and movement across the region
One of the first considerations for international supporters planning to attend AFCON 2027 will be the arrangements for entering the host countries and travelling between them.
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are developing a proposed joint visa arrangement intended to facilitate cross-border movement during the tournament.
The initiative could make it easier for supporters to follow their teams across the three countries while also visiting tourist attractions along the way.
The chairperson of the East African Community Council of Ministers, Rebecca Kadaga, announced the initiative during an inspection of the Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium in Arusha by members of the East African Legislative Assembly.
The proposed arrangement could create opportunities for tourism businesses by encouraging visitors to combine football matches with excursions, accommodation and other activities across the region.
For example, supporters travelling to attend matches in more than one host country could also consider visiting attractions outside the cities where the games are played.
Such travel could generate demand for hotels, tour operators, transport providers, restaurants and other services.
However, the benefits will depend on the final visa rules and how effectively they are implemented at border crossings.
East African Legislative Assembly member Abdullah Makame has highlighted the importance of effective implementation, underlining that the proposed arrangement must work in practice to deliver its intended benefits.
The joint visa initiative is therefore an important part of the preparations, but its final terms and operational status need to be established as the tournament approaches.
Airports and immigration services set the tone
Once travel arrangements are in place, the next test comes at the point of arrival. Airports and border posts will provide many visitors with their first direct experience of Tanzania, making efficiency, clear information and customer care important parts of the country’s preparations.
The government has announced measures to improve immigration services and manage the expected increase in passenger numbers during AFCON 2027.
Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Ayoub Mohammed Mahmoud told the National Assembly that special measures were being prepared for airports, seaports and border posts to facilitate the arrival of players, officials, supporters and tourists.
Among the measures identified is the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS), which allows immigration authorities to receive traveller information before arrival.
According to the government, the system is intended to speed up processing, reduce congestion at entry points and support security operations.
The government is also working to modernise immigration services to meet international standards and handle higher passenger volumes.
Such measures could help improve the arrival experience, but their effectiveness will depend on implementation, the readiness of staff and coordination among the institutions responsible for processing and assisting travellers.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Hassan Abbas, has also urged tourism service providers to improve customer service ahead of the tournament.
Speaking during a training workshop for tourism service providers at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), Abbas said the country was preparing to receive a large number of visitors and that airport workers had a responsibility to help create a positive impression.
The workshop brought together representatives of institutions operating at KIA, including immigration, aviation, revenue, wildlife, health and emergency services agencies.
The involvement of these different institutions reflects the range of services that must work together to support visitors.
Efficient immigration procedures are important, but travellers also need reliable information, appropriate assistance and professional treatment throughout their journey.
For Tanzania, the task is to ensure that modernised systems and infrastructure are matched by responsive service.
A visitor who encounters confusing procedures or poor customer care may form a negative impression even when the country’s tourism attractions are appealing.
Preparing accommodation and attractions beyond the stadiums
A smooth arrival is only the beginning of the visitor experience. Accommodation, transport and access to tourism attractions will also influence whether supporters remain within match venues or explore more of the country.
The government has been pursuing tourism development projects intended to expand the range of experiences available to visitors.
One example is the development of facilities at Pugu–Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve in the Dar es Salaam area.
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ashatu Kijaji has set April 2027 as the target for completing tourism development projects at the reserve, ahead of the AFCON finals in June.
The planned facilities include seven cottages, an entrance gate and supporting visitor infrastructure. During an inspection, Kijaji reported that three cottages were at different stages of development: one had been completed, another was nearing completion and construction of the third was under way.
The minister emphasised the need to complete the facilities on time so that visitors attending AFCON could explore the country’s natural attractions.
The project illustrates how preparations for the tournament extend beyond stadium construction to include destinations that could provide additional activities for visitors.
Nature-based tourism close to Dar es Salaam could offer supporters an opportunity to spend time away from match venues while discovering another aspect of Tanzania.
However, the April 2027 deadline will be important in determining whether the facilities are ready to receive visitors before the competition begins.
Their usefulness will also depend on access, maintenance, visitor information and the quality of services available.
Turning football into a wider cultural experience
Beyond accommodation and physical infrastructure, Tanzania’s preparations also raise a question about how the country will present its culture and hospitality to international visitors.
Drogba has urged the country to integrate local food and hospitality into the experience of attending AFCON.
He suggested that stadium lounges could provide snacks and drinks while giving visitors opportunities to sample Tanzanian cuisine, socialise and conduct business.
The proposal offers a practical way to connect the tournament with local culture. Football venues attract large audiences, but they can also serve as places where visitors encounter the country’s food, hospitality and social life.
Tanzanian cuisine and cultural experiences could form part of a broader visitor offering that includes excursions, nature-based activities and other attractions.
Rather than treating tourism as an activity separate from football, organisers and service providers could make it part of the overall experience surrounding the matches.
Drogba’s argument is that the tournament should offer something meaningful even to supporters whose teams do not win.
Their memories of the destination may be shaped by the welcome they receive, the food they taste, the people they meet and the places they visit.
That approach also creates opportunities for local tourism operators, restaurants, guides and cultural enterprises to participate in the tournament’s wider economic activity.
Local businesses and the economic opportunity
The expected arrival of international visitors could create demand for services across several sectors, including accommodation, transport, food, retail and tourism.
The Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) has urged local investors to take advantage of business opportunities emerging from preparations for AFCON 2027.
TAA Director-General, Mombokaleo Momboleo, said the authority was focusing on improving airport infrastructure while encouraging Tanzanians to invest in commercial services that could meet the needs of visitors.
He described airports as economic hubs with opportunities beyond aircraft arrivals and departures, and called on domestic investors to consider hospitality facilities and other revenue-generating businesses.
Momboleo also encouraged partnerships between the government and private sector, including public-private partnerships for investment in highend hotels and hospitality facilities at key airport gateways.
The economic opportunity extends beyond large hotels and airport businesses. Increased demand for food, transport, accommodation and visitor services could also create opportunities for farmers, retailers, tour operators and smaller enterprises.
For local businesses, the key consideration is how to prepare for demand that may rise during the tournament.
This could involve improving service standards, strengthening business partnerships, ensuring consistent product quality and making it easier for visitors to find and purchase local products and services.
The government and private sector will both have roles to play. Public investment can support infrastructure and systems, while private businesses can help provide the accommodation, services and experiences that visitors require.
Nevertheless, the existence of an opportunity does not automatically guarantee that local businesses will benefit. Their participation will depend on their ability to access investment, identify demand and meet the expectations of international visitors.
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Measuring readiness: Progress, deadlines and outstanding work
For the visitor experience to work as intended, these measures need to function together. An efficient visa arrangement will have limited value if passengers face unnecessary delays on arrival. Improved airport infrastructure will not fully meet visitors’ expectations if customer service is inadequate.
Similarly, tourism attractions may struggle to benefit from the tournament if visitors cannot easily access them or find suitable accommodation and information.
Coordination among government institutions, the three host countries and private service providers will therefore be important. Preparation must also include communicating arrangements clearly to travellers and ensuring that the people working directly with visitors understand their responsibilities.
The remaining period before the tournament offers an opportunity to assess progress against announced deadlines, verify the operational readiness of new systems and identify gaps that require attention.