Tourism in Zanzibar
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Tourism in Zanzibar includes the
tourism industry Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
and its effects on the islands of
Unguja Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in grc, Μενουθιάς, Menuthias – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanza ...
(known internationally as Zanzibar) and
Pemba Pemba may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places * Pemba Island, in Tanzania * Pemba, Mozambique, the capital of Cabo Delgado Province * Pemba, Zambia, a small town Individuals * George Pemba, South African painter * Pemba (panda), a red panda * Tsewang Yishe ...
in
Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...
a semi-autonomous region in the
United Republic of Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
. Tourism is the top income generator for the islands, outpacing even the lucrative agricultural export industry and providing roughly 25% of income. The main airport on the island is
Zanzibar International Airport Abeid Amani Karume International Airport ( sw, Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa Abeid Amani Karume, ) is the main airport in the Zanzibar Archipelago located on Unguja Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. It is approximately south of Zanzibar City, th ...
, though many tourists fly into
Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
and take a ferry to the island. The
Government of Zanzibar The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous government within Tanzania for Zanzibar, which consists of the northern part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, mainly the islands of Unguja and Pemba. Structure The government is made up ...
plays a major role in promoting the industry, with the official government tourist page stating that its goal regarding tourism is to "become one of the top tourism destinations of the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
, offering an up market, high quality product across the board within the coming 17 years." Zanzibar Commission for Tourism recorded more than doubling the number of tourists from the 2015/2016 fiscal year and the following year, from 162,242 to 376,000. The increase in tourism has led to significant environmental impacts and mixed impacts on local communities, which were expected to benefit from economic development but in large part have not. Communities have witnessed increasing
environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...
, and that flow of tourists has reduced the access of local communities to the marine and coastal resources that are the center of tourist activity.


History

The opportunity for growing tourism in Zanzibar started in the 1980s, before which tourism largely did not exist. As of 1985 there were only 19,000 annual tourists. Restructuring of the economy in the 1980s due to the IMF instigated Investment Protection Act allowed for an increase in local businesses working in the industry. Increased growth of foreign-invested accommodations and hotels on the islands has allowed for growth in tourism from Italy, the UK, other parts of Europe and Africa. In 2011 and 2012, two tourist ferries sank in the islands. Following shutdowns due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Zanzibar reopened the islands in June 2020 without quarantine measures. In late 2020, the government promoted confidence in the tourism industry in Zanzibar and saw a partial recovery of 60% of the number of inbound tourists that it had seen in previous years by November.


Government activity

The tourism in the region is promoted both by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism Authority and
Tanzania Tourist Board Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
. The semi-autonomous nature of
Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...
makes analysis of the situation more similar to
Small Island Developing States Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of developing countries that are small island countries which tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. These include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, ...
. A 2014 study found that the planning, policy and governance practices for the local tourism industry were poor. Moreover, widespread corruption has led to government officials protecting investors and hotel owners, many of whom are not local parts of the economy.


Attractions

The principal grouping of attractions on Zanzibar are coastal tourism, terrestrial wildlife,
dhow Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spor ...
cruising and spice tours.


Stone Town

Zanzibar's capital is the historical Stone Town, home to much of Zanzibar's tourism industry. It is also a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. The town contains numerous historical and cultural sites, including Makusurani graveyard (where many of the islands' previous Arab rulers are buried),
House of Wonders The House of Wonders or Palace of Wonders (in ar, بيت العجايب ''Bayt al-ʿAjāʾib'') is a landmark building in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is the largest and tallest building of Stone Town and occupies a prominent place facing the Fo ...
(a four story building which was the first place on the islands with electrical lights), Hamamni and Kidichi Persian Baths (the first public baths on the island), Dunga Ruins (ruins of a palace built in the 15th century by the rulers of the time), and the Peace Memorial Museum, a national historical museum detailing the island's long history.


Coastal tourism

Zanzibar is home to large amounts of beaches and clear Indian Ocean water, as well as coral and limestone scarps which allow for significant amounts of diving and snorkeling. The diving and snorkeling are done in marine parks. The aquatic life seen includes dolphins, moray eels, lion fish, octopus and lobster. Tourists may also go
dhow Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spor ...
cruising around the small islands. They can view the sunset and have refreshments on board. Some of these marine spaces are providing important ecosystem preservation, such as
Chumbe Marine Park The Chumbe Marine Park, officially recognized officially as Chumbe Reef Sanctuary since 1994, is a privately managed marine park in Chumbe Island, Zanzibar. It is successful as an ecotourism project. The objective of this sanctuary is to preserve ...
.


Spice tour

The town is famous for its spice tours. Tourists visit the various coconut and spice plantations in the island. Zanzibar is known for its variety of spices that are used to prepare food, cosmetics and medicines. Some of the fruits available include banana, coconut, lime, jackfruit and
breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...
. Spices include clove, nutmeg, black pepper, vanilla and coriander. Zanzibar is also known for its salt and seaweed farms that may be visited by tourists on request.


Jozani forest and Kidike root site

The Jozani forest is located in the central east region of Zanzibar consisting of a large
mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fre ...
. The forest is home to the rare
red colobus monkey Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Piliocolobus''. It was formerly considered a subgenus within the genus ''Procolobus'', which is now restricted to the olive colobus. They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkey ...
. The forest is also home to 40 species of bird and 50 species of butterfly. The Kidike root site is a great place to view the endangered
Pemba flying fox The Pemba flying fox (''Pteropus voeltzkowi'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the island of Pemba on the coast of Tanzania. Description The Pemba flying fox has a wingspan of and is one of the largest s ...
.


Challenges


Quality of infrastructure

As of 2014, one third of housing did not meet international tourist standards. Accommodations that do meet that standard are expensive to operate, often having to generate their own electricity because of poor reliability of the local grid.


Local economy

A 2015 study concluded that the tourist economy did not contribute to pro-poor growth. There is limited evidence that tourism has helped with poverty alleviation. Though there is a lot of work in the face of the tourism industry, it does not all benefit local labor. 2009 estimates of workers in the tourism industry suggested that 83% of unskilled jobs in hotels and 70% in restaurants, but only 46% of managerial positions in hotels, and just 11% in restaurants, were held by local Zanzibari staff. Professional development opportunities on the island, for example the Zanzibar Hotel and Tourism Institute, are too expensive for locals. A 2020 article highlighted thousands of Maasai men migrating to join the tourism industry on the island and using their ethnic dress to sell goods and services, including sex work. Most of the food goods eaten in the tourism sector cannot be produced locally, which increases prices for the local community.


Water resources

Tourists use as much as 15 times as much water as locals, which combined with
saltwater intrusion Saltwater intrusion is the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can lead to groundwater quality degradation, including drinking water sources, and other consequences. Saltwater intrusion can naturally occur in coastal aquifers ...
and general water scarcity raises serious water equity issues.


Marine environment

The growing tourist industry is leading to a significant amount of plastic marine debris and human waste from untreated wastewater discharge.


Climate change

45% of the local economy is dependent on the marine ecosystem, including much of the tourism. However, because much of the infrastructure and tourism is on the coast, many of the tourist destinations already are experiencing
salt-water intrusion Saltwater intrusion is the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can lead to groundwater quality degradation, including drinking water sources, and other consequences. Saltwater intrusion can naturally occur in coastal aquifers, ...
,
sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...
and
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
—and much of this is expected to get worse as sea level rise continues. Other factors and risks include rising temperatures and uncertainty about freshwater supply. Government actors coordinated by the First Vice President Office are working to build a National Framework for Climate Change Response which includes new rules and mechanisms for addressing threats to the tourism sector. Actors feel like the effectiveness of
climate change adaptation Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to current or expected effects of climate change.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary öller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger (eds.) InClimat ...
have been hampered by resourcing and expertise needed to implement the programs.


Picture gallery

Image:Zanzibar from sea.jpg, Stone Town Image:Zanzibarsultanpalace22.JPG, House of Wonders Image:Zanzibar east coast pristine beach.JPG, Zanzibar West Coast beach


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourism In Zanzibar
Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...