The second week of April on the golf calendar is predictably dominated by the Masters, and that will certainly remain the case in 2022. But that’s not to say there aren’t other compelling events on April 7-10.

Officials with the European Challenge Tour, Sunshine Tour and International Sports Management announced the creation of the Mount Kilimanjaro Klassic, which will be played at Kilimanjaro Golf Estates in Tanzania the second week of April starting next year.

The event will feature players from both the Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour and will be a part of a seven-event swing through Africa, as officials hope to build on the momentum golf has built throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The support will be inquisitive,” said Chubby Chandler, ISM’s chief executive. “They’ve opened up to the fact they are a prime place for golf tourism. In Turkey they made a golf tourism industry out of nothing. There’s no doubt Tanzania can do it. Golf is the flavor of the month right now because of COVID.”

Tanzania is already a tourist destination because of Mount Kilimanjaro, and although the country of 62 million has just three 18-hole courses, there is opportunity for growth, particularly in the Zanzibar region.

“Six courses in Zanzibar would be a brilliant place to go for a holiday,” Chandler said. “The way it helps is that the European Challenge Tour is a better vehicle [to promote tourism] but the Sunshine Tour has a better TV package for Africa.”