Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show (ZTIS) 2025 is pushing for the growth of East African tourism through out-of-the-box partnerships between industry players. Zanzibar, Tanzania’s beach capital, has, for a long time, held the dream of being a tourism leader in East Africa. Despite being a haven for beach lovers, Zanzibar has so much more untapped potential that requires a joint approach by like-minded players.
It’s against this backdrop that the 2025 edition of the Zanzibar show was set upon. It will be held at the Zanzibar Exhibition Centre in Dimani from June 20 to June 21. The two-day exhibition hopes to be the magical card for Zanzibar’s tourism fortunes. It will offer a common ground for strategic partnerships where investors can engage easily, even with relevant government bodies.
Why is Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show Important?
Tourism and Heritage Minister Mudrick Soraga described the Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show as a premier place to make meaningful industry connections and collaborate. The ministry is keen on providing a platform for hoteliers, tour operators, real estate proprietors to connect.
The idea behind this is mainly to create more opportunities in each sector to foster tourism growth in Zanzibar. Further, this show promotes inclusivity among major industry players. The show’s theme this year was premised on the numerous opportunities for everyone in the tourism industry. All it needs is working together to tap these opportunities and take Zanzibar Tourism to another level.
Greener Zanzibar. Photo/
Prior to the start of the Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show on June 20 -21, Soraga led the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brought together major industry players. Among the key stakeholders who signed the MoU were the Zanzibar Association of Tour Operators (ZATO) and the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI).
Others were the Hotel Association of Zanzibar (HAZ), Zanzibar Tour Guides Association (ZATOGA), the Real Estate Development Association (REDA) and Zanzibar Tour Guides Association (ZATOGA). Zanzibar’s Ministry of Tourism and Heritage expressed its strong belief that all these stakeholders have what it takes to strengthen the tourism economy on the Island.
“We have now created a united front that reflects the unwavering support of all institutions toward the Government of Zanzibar,” Soraga said during the MoU signing, according to The Citizen.
The Zanzibari administration has a big dream of making ZTIS the biggest tourism investment on the continent. Going forward, it will exhibit the best opportunities in the hospitality, real estate, tourism and travel sectors.
Greener Zanzibar. Photo/Elewana Collection
Tourism and Investment in Zanzibar
Industry players lauded the inception of Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show, saying that it was a pointer to a growing tourism ecosystem. The end goal – making ZTIS Africa’s largest investment and tourism exhibition – is also tenable if stakeholders work on shared objectives and untapped opportunities.
“ZTIS is an excellent thought that will change things in this Archipelago Island. There’s massive potential across Zanzibar that needs people to come together, share ideas and see how best to implement them,” Swahil Samad, a Tanzanian tour operator, opined.
Zanzibar. Photo/ATR Safari
His counterpart, Zulekha Kassim maintained that Zanzibar should attract over 1.5 million tourists each year. However, this hasn’t been the case, although the island hosts over 500,000 visitors each year. Official data by the Tourism ministry indicated that some 736,000 international guests visited Zanzibar in 2024.
Kassim is optimistic that the number could double with concerted effort by all industry players.
“Hosting 1.5 million international visitors a year seems like a long shot for us now, but it isn’t. It’s doable. Zanzibar has a lot to offer that we don’t offer yet for various reasons which I believe are what this tourism and investment exhibition is addressing.
When is Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show?
The Zanzibar Tourism and Investment Show will go down on June 20 and June 21 at Dimani’s Zanzibar Exhibition Centre. ZTIS hopes to champion its agenda of strengthening Zanzibar’s economy through tourism, which currently contributes to 30% of its GDP.
The uptake of eco-lodges and holiday homes on the island has increased in the last year, adding more revenue for the Island, its people and real estate developers. ZTIS organisers state that bringing together developers and tourism players under one roof is a sound plan to grow Zanzibar’s tourism economy.
