JOHN Juma, a chef in one of the tourist hotels in Zanzibar, is still jobless despite Zanzibar authorities announcing the reopening of tourism activities which were closed on March 20 following the outbreak of COVID-19.
“I am among hundreds of workers who were sent on leave following the impact of COVID-19. We’re happy when tourism activities were reopened, but the holidaymakers are coming back in small numbers,” he says.
“We are celebrating World Tourism Day at home without a job. Few tourist hotels are open, but there’re no customers. Let’s pray so that the coronavirus disappears.”
World Tourism Day is celebrated every September 27 to foster awareness to the international community on the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. In June this year, the government opened the business by restoring both for charter flights and scheduled flights, but as we marked the World Tourism Day, the flow of tourists arrivals remained low.
Minister of Information, Tourism and Heritage Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said all tourist hotels, restaurants and bars in Zanzibar should be open. However, the business has been returning to normal at a snail’s pace as most countries bringing tourists to Zanzibar and the East African region are still battling with COVID-19.
Travellers to Zanzibar should hold medical health insurance and they should follow strict guidelines on prevention of COVID-19 imposed by the Zanzibar ministry of health. Arriving travellers are required to undergo screening at entry points and those found with symptoms will be sent to a designated isolation centre for further tests.
Tourism is Zanzibar’s largest economic sector and essential for local socio-economic stability. According to the available data, it contributes about 27 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product, more than 80 per cent of the foreign currency, and employs at least 60,000 people.
In efforts to revive tourism, the government has lifted travel restrictions, restoring travellers’ confidence, increasing advertising globally, and domestic tourism promotion campaigns.
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the tourism economy has been heavily hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that revised scenarios indicate that potential shock could range between 60-80 per cent declines in the international tourism economy this year.
Tourism helps rural communities hold onto their unique natural and cultural heritage, supporting conservation projects, including those safeguarding endangered species, lost traditions or flavours. But the impact of the crisis is being felt throughout the entire tourism ecosystem, and reopening and rebuilding destinations will require a joined up approach.
While in some countries tourism businesses and workers are benefiting from economy-wide stimulus packages, in Zanzibar many workers complain of lack of support. Seven months into the crisis, the situation continues to evolve and analysts say the outlook remains uncertain with recovery being slower than previously foreseen.
The World Tourism Day 2020 theme was “Tourism: Building peace, fostering knowledge.” Zanzibar Tourism Commission director, Dr Abdallah Mohamed said the ongoing measures to reopen the tourism economy and get businesses up and running, needs patience and collaboration “because many countries are still engulfed in COVID-19 crisis.”
“It is taking time, but we look forward to a better future. We are also promoting domestic tourism so that the business continues as the world eagerly waits for a vaccine for the virus,” he said. He said archives, museums, and heritage sites are also being improved by refurbishing them to boost domestic tourism and attract more tourists from abroad after the easing of the COVID-19.
A record of 24,863 visitors visited historical sites in 2019, up from 13,251 in 2010. Zanzibar remains famous among holiday-makers from different countries as a travel destination with wonderful beaches, exceptional red Colubus monkeys and other rare species in forests.
Narrow streets, historical buildings and monuments, scuba diving, snorkelling, playing with dolphins, sea ride, spice farms, and Forodhani Gardens are some of the tourism attractions.
The good performance in tourist arrivals has been partly attributed to the perception that the archipelago is a secure destination and the promotional efforts done by the government for new markets such as India, China, and Middle East.
President Ali Mohamed Shein says the government has been taking different measures to revive tourism, and last Monday the improved Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) was launched. The length of taxi-way has increased from 1,805 to 3,427 metres to handle big planes.
The construction of Terminal III building at the AAKIA is almost over. It took eleven years to complete the construction at the cost of USD 128.4 million.
The new airport is expected to increase business after COVID-19 is contained globally, but the measures taken by the government to improve air transport sectors has resulted in annual increase of flights from 42,733 in 2010 to 66,393 last year.
President Shein says that the number of tourists from regions with emerging economies like Asia and Europe was increasing drastically before the coronavirus pandemic. Zanzibar has more than 509 tourist hotels (2019 statistics) of different grades of which 26 are five-star hotels, and 20 are four-star hotels.
The number of tourists increased from 133,000 in 2010 to 538,264 last year (2019) equivalent to four per cent increase. As tourism business revives gradually after COVID- 19, the number of tourists is expected to increase should coronavirus be suppressed.
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