Isles tourism body commends government security measures

 Zanzibar  Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI) has expressed satisfaction over the government’s efforts to enhance tourism security despite the ongoing political crisis.

 

ZATI noted that the move has increased and attracted tourists from different countries who are visiting Zanzibar.

 

Since Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman Jecha Salim Jecha nullified the October 25 General Election, last year, the Isles have gone through tough moments due to pressure from political parties, the international community and organisations criticising the commission over its decision.

 

Speaking at the ZATI Annual General Meeting held in Unguja Island yesterday, outgoing chairperson of the tourism body Omar Said Shaaban said the government has made various efforts in making sure the country’s security remains stable and fit for its people and visiting tourists.

 

He said despite the Isles rough times due to the political crisis, tourists have continued to flow into the archipelago because of the government’s efforts in maintaining security.

 

Shaaban said ZATI was glad that there had been no reported cases of harm to tourists. He stressed that ZATI, for their part, have been on the frontline to advocate for security to attract more tourists to the island.

 

The  outgoing  chairperson pledged to speak with the authority on how receptive the government was of the proposals from ZATI to enhance tourism security and judicial review systems in the Island. He said he was glad about the inclusion of ZATI’s recommendations in the Legal Sector Reforms Programmes, among which there was the enactment of the Tourism Security Agent Act.

 

However, Shaaban lamented that the taxation system was affecting tourism in Zanzibar, blaming multi-taxation as one of the factors hindering the tourism growth. 

 

“We must ask ourselves whether our voice is just loud and persuasive enough to convince the government to not just listen to them but to actually implement our many recommendations whether they be about better security systems, ease of doing business, taxes, infrastructure or just about the future of our industry, which I believe is inextricably tied to the future of Zanzibar,” he stressed.

 

Shaaban stressed that ZATI was compelled to change the way it did business if it wanted to have its agenda prioritised by the government.

 

He, however, said ZATI must base its advocacy methods on well conducted studies with indisputable findings to help convince the government that its recommendations were not only the right thing to do but the best for the industry. Presenting an update to its members, ZATI director Fatma Khamis said the number of tourists visiting Zanzibar was pleasing due to a better security situation and the various attractions.

 

According to her, tourists who visited Zanzibar in 2015 were from Europe (193,723), Asia (31,124), Africa (38,532), America (25,623) and Oceania (4,997).