By
ADAM IHUCHA -- A deal that will see Tanzania mainland and Seychelles
promote each other’s tourist attractions has rattled Zanzibar, which says
the partnership could kill its beach industry.
The
Tanzania-Seychelles treaty is the culmination of a 2010 memorandum of
understanding (MoU) that will see Air Seychelles launch twice-weekly
flights to Dar es Salaam to offer tourists hassle-free trips between the Indian
Ocean Island and the Tanzania mainland, starting this week.
The
Seychelles Honorary Consul and the Tourism Ambassador for Seychelles in
Tanzania, Maryvonne Pool, said both countries, would benefit from each
other since Seychelles has the pristine beaches, while Tanzania mainland has
its unique wildlife and is best for wildlife safaris.
“I look forward as the Seychelles Honorary Consul
and the Tourism Ambassador for Seychelles vigorously promote both tourism and
trade between both countries,” Ms Pool explained.
Tourism
players in Zanzibar say
the Tanzania mainland and Seychelles deal is equally
detrimental for their infant beach tourism, as it would drive tourists
from their beaches to Seychelles.
Former
chairman and the current board member of Zanzibar Association of Tourism
Investors (Zati), Simai Mohammed Said says that the Tanzania mainland
overlooked Zanzibar’s fundamental interests in entering a two-way marketing
deal with Seychelles that would hurt their efforts to attract tourists to the
Isle’s beaches against the premium offered by competing beaches in Seychelles.
Should
Tanzania mainland go ahead with the plan, Mr. Said warned, it would bring about
political disaster for the 50 year-old Union.
The stiff
opposition by Zanzibar arises from the argument that Seychelles wanted to ride
on Tanzania’s rich wildlife advantage to sell its beaches to tourists looking
for a combined beach-bush package.
This, Mr.
Said claimed, will be at the expense of Zanzibar’s own strongest selling point.
“We have to
prepare ourselves psychologically in the next couple of the years, when we go
to travel shows like World travel market in London or ITB Berlin, when you look
at the summer brochures, Seychelles will be promoting Safaris in mainland
Tanzania and the beach relaxation in seychelles at the expense of Zanzibar” he
explained.
Traditionally,
tourists after visiting Tanzania mainland’s wildlife rich attractions go to
Zanzibar Isles for beach relaxation.
Tourism is a significant
source of income for Zanzibar - largest source of foreign exchange,
contributing about 27 percent of GDP, and 80 percent of foreign direct
investment (FDI), generating export earnings of about $116
million in 2012.
Available data show that tourism,
which attracts nearly 200,000 tourists, is a source of decent jobs in Zanzibar
as it creates direct employment of 15,000 people and, 50,000 others indirectly.
There are around 5500 rooms providing over 11,000 beds that can accommodate approximately 145,000 visitors.
There are around 5500 rooms providing over 11,000 beds that can accommodate approximately 145,000 visitors.
“Worse
enough the MoU did not involve stakeholders in Zanzibar despite the fact that
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania and in brotherly spirit they were supposed to
invite us” Mr. Said noted.
Indeed, the
Minister responsible
for tourism, information, culture, and sports in Zanzibar, Mr. Said Ali Mbarouk
says he wasn’t aware and if Tanzania mainland feels that Seychelles is more
important to partner with then Zanzibar can also cooperate with Rwanda in
promoting tourism.
“Zanzibar has beach like Seychelles so logically, they can learn from Seychelles than Tanzania mainland, which its mainstream tourism is based on wildlife” Mr Mgimwa says.
He further argued that in the
current world, Zanzibar cannot runaway from competition, particularly in
tourism market.
Mr. Mgimwa argues that Tanzanians
will benefit a lot because entrepreneurs will take advantage of niche market of
other items such as cereals, horticulture produces and beef in Seychelles as
the country was in dire need of that items.
“We must learn how to compete
if we are to remain relevant in business. Protectionism approach of our market
has no room in this world. We either compete or die. Kenya has the same
arrangement with Seychelles, and yet it has Mombasa beach, why not Tanzania,”
he stressed.
In the deal, the deputy
minister says, Seychelles will be promoting Zanzibar- Bagamoyo and Tanga
beaches with an eye to boost tourist numbers in Tanzania.
Indeed,
the Seychelles Consul Ms Pool expressed her great hopes that the airline
will benefit the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar as well.
“I
know that we can partner in many areas of tourism, and export of produce from
Zanzibar and the authentic spices from the Island,” Pool added, articulating
her optimism to see Zanzibar taking part in the forthcoming Victoria Carnival
next year.
Expressing
her inspirations, Ms. Pool said Air Seychelles had chosen the right destination
where it will introduce fast and cheap connections to the world.
Travelers
would love to spend a few days in Seychelles before they arrive at their
destinations. Through a partnership with Etihad Airlines, Air Seychelles will
open more connections throughout the world, she added.
The
flight between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Victoria in Seychelles will take
only two hours and twenty minutes, making the route a short one.
Air
Seychelles is also looking into capturing the Indian Ocean Islands and the East
Africa regional airspace, adding to its current flights to South Africa.
With
its pristine beaches, warm water, and coral reefs, Seychelles has long been a
must-visit destination for many tourists from all over the world.
Seychelles is made up of 115 islands capable of hosting 215,000
international tourists per year, making the island a highly developed tourist
destination.In 2012, visitor arrivals in Seychelles stood at 208,034. The Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics confirmed that as at the 31st December 2013 the visitor arrival figures for 2013 was 230,272.
This represents a percentage increase over 2012 of 10.7 percent. This figure is over two and a half times the total population of the Seychelles and over five times the working population of the islands.
The Central Bank of Seychelles on its part says that their tourism earnings in 2013 to have reached $343.6 million, this represents an increase of 11 percent over 2012 figures ($310.3 million).
A small, service-based, middle-income, island-state economy with a GDP per capita of $ 15,644 in 2013, Seychelles is classified as a high-middle-income country. The nation enjoys good public sector governance, ranking 5th in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance in 2014.
Seychelles has already achieved most of the Millennium Development Goals, especially for education, health, poverty eradication, and the environment. Poverty in Seychelles is relatively low, with less than 2percent of the population living on less than $ 2 per day.
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