With its sights set on transforming the lucrative tourism industry, Tanzania has opened a new chapter in its endeavor after setting a foot in the Portuguese market.
For the first, the East African nation, which is endowed with unmatched tourist attractions, will receive 288 tourists from Portugal on Monday.
This was revealed by Zanzibar’s Minister for Tourism and Heritage Simai Mohamed Said yesterday in a telephone interview with the ‘Daily News’ from Lisbon, Portugal.
“On Monday I will join 288 tourists who are coming to Zanzibar on a chartered plane. This will be the first direct charter from Lisbon and it will fly to Zanzibar seven times during this tourism season,” said Minister Said.
He assured the tourists that the Tanzanian government will be very supportive, including visa processing.
“We’ll provide every kind of support they need and ensure they enjoy and experience our beautiful country,” he stressed.
Mr Said is in the European nation on a working tour aimed at promoting Zanzibar and Tanzania tourism in continued efforts to the sector, which is among the key drivers of the country’s economy.
Minister Said underlined the need to exploit the Portuguese tourism market saying there is a great potential to attract more visitors from countries such as Brazil, Greece and Spain among other Portuguese speaking countries.
“A lot of Europeans are buying houses and settling in Portugal because it is one of the cheapest countries, therefore by promoting our country here we are going to market ourselves to many European nationals,” suggested the minister.
Simai is accompanied by Chairman of the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, Mr Rahim Bhalou, Counsellor Aggrey Meena and Nazim Ahmed, a Diplomatic Representative.
Source: Daily News
