Zanzibar Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Fatma Mabrouk Khamis (3rd right) and NMB’s retail banking chief Filbert Mponzi dign documents in the Isles at the weekend. From left is NMB Bank’s head of card business Philbert Casmir, a legal counsel at NMB Bank, Mr Herbert Clipa, a lawyer with the Zanzibar’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Mustafa Omary Abdallah and executive secretary for the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, Ms Hafsa Mbamba. PHOTO|THE CITIZEN CORRESPONDENT
Zanzibar. The NMB Bank Plc and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a renewed effort to tweak the development of the tourism sector in the Isles.
Tourism accounts for about 25 of Zanzibar’s gross domestic product (GDP) and up to 80 percent of the Isle’s foreign exchange earnings.
Data from the Hotel Association Zanzibar (HAZ) show in 2020 alone, Zanzibar received 528,425 tourists who earned the country a total of $426 million in forex earnings.
Permanent Secretary (PS) in Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Fatma Mabrouk Khamis signed the MoU on behalf of the government of Zanzibar while NMB Bank was represented by its retail banking chief Filbert Mponzi at the MoU signing ceremony at the weekend.
Speaking during the event, Ms Khamis said under the MoU, NMB and Zanzibar’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities will cooperate in three specific areas that are key in the boosting the tourism sector in the Archipelago.
“We have agreed to work together in destination marketing in diversifying tourism services and facilitation of experience as well as in the empowerment of youth and the community,” she said.
In his remarks, Mr Mponzi said the bank decided to become part of the tourism development deal because it forms the basis of the blue economy, which is now the backbone of Zanzibar’s economic development blueprint.
“NMB Bank takes tourism development seriously and this is why we have been designing a number of solutions in an effort to bolster the sector’s growth,” he said.
He said the bank understands that growth of the tourism sector would benefit the government in a number of ways, including through job creation and revenue collection.
Detailing what is contained in the MoU, Mr Mponzi said NMB and the Zanzibar Government will cooperate in promoting tourism attractions in the Isles.
The bank will also streamline tourism operations by investing in digital channels - which will be located in all sites - in order to allow visitors to pay for the government’s revenues digitally.
“The bank will distribute Points of Sale (PoS) machines in all revenue collection at tourist attraction centres.
“This will also enable tourists to pay their fees and levies to the government directly through their Mastercard, Visa and UnionPay,” he said, noting that a total of 100 PoS were currently being distributed in various tourism attractions sites in the Isles.
Many more PoS will be distributed across various hotels, restaurants, recreational centres and shops in an effort to ensure that a tourist does not need hard cash while in Zanzibar.
Apart from the government, NMB’s digital payments channels have been deployed to members of the Hotel Association Zanzibar (HAZ) and Zanzibar Association of Tour Operators (ZATO).
NMB has deployed a total of 136 PoS in Zanzibar. Its services are available across a network of 17 ATMs in the Isles and more [ATMs] will be availed in such locations as Nungwi, Paje, Macho Manne, Wete, Mkoani, House of Representatives and at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Karume International Airport.
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