The partnership between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and Simba Sports Club has opened a new avenue for promoting Tanzania’s tourism through the country’s most popular sporting platforms.
The collaboration was highlighted during Simba Day celebrations, where NCAA Conservation Commissioner Abdul-Razaq Badru was honoured by the club for his contribution to strengthening the link between tourism and sports.
The award followed NCAA’s active participation in Simba Week, through which the conservation authority used the high-profile event to showcase Ngorongoro’s conservation and tourism activities while inviting football fans and other stakeholders to visit the destination.
The partnership is part of efforts to use the reach of sports to market tourism destinations to audiences beyond conventional tourism campaigns.
On July 13, 2026, NCAA and Simba agreed to work together on the initiative, which was later launched on August 1 at Ngorongoro and culminated in the Simba Day celebrations on August 8.
Commissioner Badru said bringing together the two institutions would help expose Ngorongoro’s tourism attractions to millions of football followers in Tanzania and abroad.
“These two major brands have come together because we want to promote the tourism attractions found in Ngorongoro both within and outside the country,” he said.
He said the initiative was expected to contribute to the government’s efforts to increase tourist arrivals to Ngorongoro by taking advantage of Simba’s extensive following.
The partnership also demonstrates the growing potential of sports as a tourism marketing tool, particularly in reaching young people and audiences that may not ordinarily engage with traditional tourism campaigns.
For NCAA, the collaboration provides an opportunity to position Ngorongoro not only as a conservation destination but also as a place that Tanzanians and international visitors can identify with through sport.
The authority’s participation in Simba Week also allowed it to communicate its conservation agenda directly to a large audience while promoting the economic and tourism opportunities associated with Ngorongoro.
The successful conclusion of Simba Day on August 8, attended by thousands of people, therefore marked more than the celebration of a football club.
It provided a practical example of how Tanzania’s sports and tourism sectors can work together to market the country’s attractions and support the broader goal of increasing domestic and international tourism.
For Ngorongoro, the partnership with Simba offers a powerful new promotional channel—one capable of taking the destination’s conservation and tourism message from the football pitch to millions of potential visitors.
