Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi has stated that the ongoing improvement of infrastructure and provision of better services will help to attract more tourists from Belgium and beyond. During a meeting with Belgium Ambassador to Tanzania Mr Peter Huyghebaert, Mwinyi emphasized that tourism is one of the key areas for Zanzibar’s Blue Economy agenda, and the focus remains on making Zanzibar the best destination for tourists from across the globe.
Improving Infrastructure and Services
Zanzibar is an island territory off the coast of Tanzania, known for its beautiful beaches and historical sites. The government has been making efforts to attract more tourists and investors to the archipelago, with a focus on sustainable development and preserving the natural beauty of the islands.
President Mwinyi informed Ambassador Huyghebaert that Zanzibar has been working hard to modernize its airports and other infrastructures at tourist attraction sites along with providing better services so that visitors can speak positively about their experience. He said that Belgium has been one of the countries bringing many tourists to Zanzibar, and strengthening bilateral relations would pave the way for more tourists and investors from the European nation to visit the archipelago.
Strengthening Bilateral Relations
Mwinyi expressed the desire to build stronger relations with Belgium in areas of health and Information Communication Technology (ICT), which are crucial in achieving development goals. Belgium can help connect Zanzibar and Tanzania in general to benefit from development projects opportunities from the European Union (EU) through economic diplomacy.
Ambassador Huyghebaert congratulated President Mwinyi for his efforts to develop Zanzibar by implementing various workable measures including strengthening relations with development partners. He said that Tanzania is among countries in Africa to continue benefiting from development programmes set by Belgium in various areas, including ICT with planned e-health and e-immigration; women and child health, and gender economic and ICT empowerment.
Belgium-Tanzania Relations
Tanzania and Belgium developed diplomatic and business relations in the 1980s, opening the Belgium embassy in Dar es Salaam and Tanzania opening its embassy in the country’s capital, Brussels. The existing good relations between Belgium and Tanzania, including Zanzibar, will continue to bear good fruits for the benefit of its citizens, and the envoy assured Mwinyi that he would work on the requests to build stronger relations in areas of health and ICT.
