By Masato Masato, Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR's tourism industry is gradually recovering, amid prospects of increased investments from 500 million US dollars to over a billion dollar (over 2.3tri/-).
Tourism and Heritage Minister Lela Muhamed Mussa, speaking to tourism investors here over the weekend, said the government is determined to pursue meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism to maximally explore the country's potential.
Total tourism investments are currently estimated at 500 million US dollars (over 1.15tri/-) but according to Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) Director Dr Abdallah Mohammed Juma, efforts are underway to double the investment base to over a billion dollar.
Addressing the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors' (ZATI) Annual General Meeting (AGM), the minister invited serious investors in the lucrative sector, saying the country still boasts of huge and virgin investment potentials.
She reaffirmed the government's support to all players in the sector, which plays a critical role in the national economy, challenging the existing investors to explore new investment segments.
ZATI Vice-Chairperson Julia Bishop said the tourism industry in the isles has survived the 2020 year, expressing optimism for a revival in 2021.
"Zanzibar tourism has been on steady increase in the past 20 years. It peaked last year with over half a million tourist arrivals," the vice-chairlady told the AGM.
The country's key economic sector came to a standstill last April, following the outbreak of Coronavirus in March 2020. But the industry is gradually picking up, with the Indian Ocean's semi-autonomous archipelago receiving 12, 157 visitors last month.
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