Chinese artists perform at the closing ceremony of the 2024 China-Tanzania Tourism and Culture Year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Nov. 4, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Herman/Xinhua)

Senior officials from the Chinese and Tanzanian governments have identified tourism and culture as two factors that helped cement ties between the two countries.

A closing ceremony of the 2024 China-Tanzania Tourism and Culture Year and celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries was held in the port city of Dar es Salaam Monday night.

Speaking at the event, the officials observed that tourism and culture not only helped stimulate economic development but also promoted people-to-people exchanges and understanding between the two countries.

Lu Yingchuan, vice minister of culture and tourism in China, said cooperation between the two countries has reached new heights as more Chinese tourists visit Tanzania.

"From exchanges of art performances, tourism promotions, food tasting, to the creation of artworks and personnel training, an array of diverse and colorful activities triggered a fresh surge of cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between our two countries," Lu noted.

Chen Mingjian, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said China and Tanzania have a long history of rich culture and harmonious coexistence in a peaceful atmosphere.

"At the same time, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Tanzania keeps on growing, with more than 54,000 of them visiting Tanzania between January and September this year," she told the gathering that featured cultural performances from China and Tanzania.

Pindi Chana, Tanzania's minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said China-Tanzania relations have continued to develop, with fruitful results in practical cooperation and rich cultural exchanges.

"The development of tourism can not only drive growth and create jobs, but also promote consumption and stabilize confidence," she told the gathering co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, and Tanzania's ministries of Natural Resources and Tourism, Culture, Arts and Sports, and Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

The event was preceded by the "Nihao! China" China Tourism Promotion Conference, which was attended by tourism stakeholders from China and Tanzania. At this conference, they explained their experiences in the industry.

The event also saw the relaunch of the film Amazing Tanzania, which was first launched in China in May 2024.

The film starring Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania's Zanzibari President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, and Chinese actor Jin Dong has served as a catalyst to attract more tourists from China to visit the East African nation, according to the African country's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Hassan Abbasi.