The annual general meeting of Zanzibar’s premier tourism
association, the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors or ZATI in
short which took place last weekend, received top level attention from
the island’s government. Chief guest was the government’s Minister for
Finance Hon. Omar Yusuf Mzee, cognizant of the fact that the tourism
industry generates over 70 percent of the island’s foreign exchange
earnings. Also present was Mr. Hamdan Omar, Commissioner of Police for
the island. The finance minister in his key note address reportedly
reassured the tourism investors that security of tourists remains a
number one priority of the government and that all humanly possible was
being done to ensure their safety during their vacation. He however
acknowledged the challenges the security organs and the police were
encountering when he reportedly said: ‘Attacks on visitors cause an
adverse impact on the flow of tourists into the island’ making reference
to several incidents last year and this year, which had prompted ZATI
to seek reassurances from the government.
The police commissioner then ‘sang from the same hymn sheet’ when he
reiterated what the minister had said, calling for close cooperation
between the island’s tourism industry and the police to help combat
petty crime and more serious incidents as reported here some time ago.
Zanzibar, comprising the main island of Unguja and the second island
of Pemba, has established itself as a prime tourism destination in
Eastern Africa and is now connected to key European markets by direct
and nonstop charter flights, besides scheduled flights from
Johannesburg.
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