Off the wire
• Kidnapped Sierra Leone diplomat released: official  • Gold up on weaker U.S. equities  • Morocco's foreign debt rises 45.5 pct in past five years  • 2nd LD: German airport gives all-clear after evacuation  • Update: 10 killed in blast near bakery in northeastern Syria  • Oil prices tumble on global growth concerns  • EU-Canada trade deal must pass before national parliaments: EU trade commissioner  • Irish service sector activity eases slightly due to Brexit concerns  • 1st LD: 6 killed in blast near bakery in northeastern Syria  • Slovenian politicians take unified position on EU post-Brexit  
You are here: 　 Home

Zanzibar aims to promote tourism products

Xinhua, July 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago has expressed its intention of taking part in this year's World Travel Market to promote tourism products to the outside world.

The global event will be held between November 7 and 9 in the UK capital, London.

Tourism contributes 25 to 27 percent to Zanzibar's GDP, and between 70 and 85 percent of the foreign earnings come from the hospitality industry, according to official figures.

Hassan Ali Mzee, chairman of the Zanzibar Association of Tour Operators (ZATO), described the global tourism event as an important forum for it to showcase tourist destinations outside the world.

"As Zanzibar, we take this as an important avenue to sell our tourist destinations taking into account that tourism is a very competitive venture in East Africa and the world at large," Hassan said.

Zanzibar has been participating in the WTM for more than 25 years.

Hassan said: "This has been contributed a lot towards boosting the number of tourists visiting the Zanzibar archipelago."

The official said that so far, there are six tour firms which have shown interest to take part in the global event.

Seif Miskry, chairman of Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI), also expressed his optimism over the WTM London 2016, saying: "This will place Tanzania on the world map in terms of tourism."

Zanzibar's capital is the historical Stone Town, the home to much of Zanzibar's tourism industry. It is also a World Heritage Site. Endit