ZANZIBAR: ACTING Minister for Tourism and Heritage, Mr Mudrik Ramadhan Soraga has said the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT), is implementing targeted strategies to strengthen Zanzibar’s presence in key international markets, particularly in Europe and Asia, in a bid to increase annual tourist arrivals.
Responding to a question from Ms Fatma Ramadhan Mohamed (Women’s Special Seats) on efforts to expand Zanzibar’s tourism market, Mr Soraga said several initiatives are underway to consolidate and grow the European market share. Among them is a major outdoor advertising campaign in central London, featuring “Visit Zanzibar” branding on buses operating across the city centre.
Officially launched in January 2026, the campaign aims to raise Zanzibar’s visibility among international travellers and tourism stakeholders in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Mr Soraga also highlighted Zanzibar’s participation in the World Travel Market (WTM) London 2025, where, for the first time, the destination hosted a large joint pavilion bringing together 35 tourism stakeholders.
He said the coordinated presence created significant business opportunities, expanded international networks and strengthened marketing partnerships.
As a result, many exhibitors secured new European business partners and initiated discussions on launching additional flight routes to Zanzibar.
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The House of Representatives was further informed that Zanzibar also participated in the FITUR tourism fair held in January 2026. At the event, 20 stakeholders exhibited under a unified Zanzibar pavilion for the first time.
According to Mr Soraga, participants expressed satisfaction with the joint approach, noting that it strengthened destination branding, improved visibility and enabled them to secure new partnerships while exploring emerging European markets.
Turning to Asia, particularly China, Mr Soraga said marketing efforts have focused on digital promotion through partnerships with Chinese firms to position Zanzibar on leading social media platforms in the Chinese language.
These platforms include WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu (RED) and the international version of TikTok.
“This approach allows us to directly reach Chinese travellers using the language and platforms they trust and widely use,” he said.
He also noted a strategic partnership with Jeju Island in South Korea. In 2024, Zanzibar and Jeju signed a cooperation agreement aimed at jointly promoting tourism, exchanging expertise and strengthening capacity building.
Jeju is widely regarded as one of Asia’s most successful island tourism destinations. Mr Soraga said the partnership is expected to enhance Zanzibar’s competitiveness and further improve service quality within the sector.