Zanzibar tourism development partners hunt for Gulf market

By The guardian reporter

Grassroots Traveller

Development partners of tourism sector in Zanzibar are discussing new ways to control and utilise effectively the market in the Gulf region.

The initiative is aimed at curbing the drop in number of tourists from the European region.

Hafsa Mbamba, the founder and Managing Director of Grassroots Traveller, is leading the development partners in long journey to exploit the huge potential market in the Gulf.

The development partners convened the first international forum in Zanzibar that brought together government officials and other stakeholders in the sector.

Among the developing partners were Grassroots Traveller, Prospective Learning and Chartable Company, Jahazi Festivals, Zanzibar for Tourist Investors, Recovery Community Zanzibar, Fermanders Tours and Safari, Zato, Kawa Training Centre, Sustainable East Africa and Inaya Zanzibar firm.

Hafsa Mbamba said the secret behind the initiative was to promote Zanzibar to become sustainable touristic destination in the whole seasons.

She said the initiative would create awareness to government and the public on the future of Zanzibar as a sustainable tourism destination.

The move is also aimed at sensitizing tourism stakeholders to make changes in the sector, for it is the backbone of Zanzibar’s economy.

Speaking during the forum, representative of the Zanzibar Commission of Tourism Ilyas Nassor admitted that the number of visits from Europe to Zanzibar was falling tremendously.

He also pointed that there was potential tourism market for Zanzibar in the Gulf region.  

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN