Zanzibar restores historic buildings to boost tourism
Tourists in Stone Town, Zanzibar. PHOTO| BEATRICE MATERU
What you need to know:
- The government has injected Sh7 billion into the project, which entails the restoration of four historical buildings
Arusha. Zanzibar has embarked on projects to restore historic buildings in Stone Town in a move to boost cultural and historical tourism.
The chairperson of the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI), Rahim Bhaloo, said the government is in the process of creating a different form of tourism in the archipelago to make the Unguja and Pemba Islands stand out on the continent.
“We have entered into a contract with private investors to restore and maintain ancient buildings in the old Stone Town of Zanzibar, without altering their former designs and charm,” Balo told The Citizen in Arusha yesterday at Zanzibar’s pavilion at the Kilifair Travel and Tourism Trade Fair going on in Arusha.
Bhaloo quoted the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA) recent report that the tourism industry in the Isles accounts for 30 percent of Zanzibar’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Speaking from Zanzibar, the Director of the Department of Museum and Antiquities Zanzibar in the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, Maryam Mansab, said a total of 14 such properties are undergoing restoration in the Isles.
“The government has injected Sh7 billion towards the project, which entails the restoration of four historical buildings, while ten other properties will be rehabilitated by private sector entities,” she explained.
Some of the special sites that are being restored include ancient Persian spa baths, ‘Hamamnis’, the Palace Museum, the Mnazi Mmoja Natural History Museum, the Peace Memorial, and the Arts Museum.
Zanzibar will officially inaugurate two of the museums in August 2023. There is also the Kibweni Palace Museum, which is located some 6 kilometres from the stone town. Oman will restore Beit Al Ajaib, which a historical monument is located on the shores of the Old Stone Town in Unguja. Known as the ‘House of Wonders,’ the legendary building partially collapsed in 2020.
The Zanzibar government is now planning to restore the property to its original form and shape.
The tender for the restoration work was awarded in the presence of Salem bin Muhammad Al Mahrouqi, the Oman Minister of Heritage and Tourism.
The Department of Museum and Antiquities of Zanzibar had collected revenue amounting to Sh350 million by March 2023, which is 50 percent of the government’s target of collecting Sh700 million in the fiscal year 2022/2023 from cultural tourism activities.
