Isles’ February tourist arrivals up by 4.9pc

ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR recorded 86,839 international tourist arrivals in February this year, marking a 4.9 per cent increase compared to 82,750 visitors recorded in February last year.

However, the figure represents a 13.3 per cent decline compared to 100,216 visitors who arrived in January this year.

Presenting the tourism entry statistics, a statistician from the Tourism Unit of the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (Zanzibar), Fatma Hilal Mohammed said 49,451 visitors (56.9 per cent) were men, while 37,388 (43.1 per cent) were women.

According to the report, Europe remained the leading source market, accounting for 67,171 visitors (77.4 per cent).

Africa followed with 8,690 visitors (10 per cent), while Asia contributed 5,362 visitors (6.2 per cent).

The Americas ranked fourth with 5,324 visitors (6.1 per cent), while Oceania recorded 289 visitors (0.3 percent).

The data further shows that 82,155 visitors (94.6 per cent) entered Zanzibar through airports, mainly via the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, while 4,684 visitors (5.4 per cent) arrived through seaports.

Ms Mohammed explained that the majority of visitors travelled to Zanzibar for leisure purposes. About 99.7 per cent visited for holidays, while 0.2 per cent travelled to visit friends and relatives.

The remaining 0.1 per cent visited for other reasons, including business and meetings. Tourism stakeholders described the steady growth in visitor numbers as a positive sign for the sector, but noted that more efforts are needed for Zanzibar to reach its target of one million tourists annually.

An official from the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, Hassan Ameir Vuai, said efforts are ongoing to expand tourism markets in additional European countries.

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Meanwhile, Assistant Immigration Superintendent Said Rajab Hassan urged the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage (Zanzibar) to work closely with the Zanzibar Ports Corporation to improve customer service for tourists arriving through seaports.

He noted that some port staff lack adequate communication skills when interacting with visitors, which could discourage tourists from returning to the destination.

Mr Hassan added that the Immigration Department plans to establish a tourism unit dedicated to improving customer service for visitors.

For his part, the Statistics Manager at the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, Bakar Hussein Yussuf, said the agency recorded 22 cases involving tourists in February, including five road accidents and 17 cases related to common illnesses.

Despite these incidents, he noted that Zanzibar continues to attract large numbers of visitors compared to many destinations, largely due to its natural attractions, especially beaches, and its culture of hospitality.

He stressed the need to strengthen efforts to promote and preserve these attractions in order to attract even more tourists to the islands.