ZANZIBAR OPTIMISTIC AS SPANIARD PICKED AS ISLES TOURISM ENVOY

BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA  

The Zanzibar government is optimistic about the Spaniard celebrity, recently picked as the Isles tourism ambassador.

Pablo Gonzalez (29) is currently on a solo walk in Africa; from Cape to Cairo and has climbed Ol Doinyo Lengai in Arusha region.  

The Isles minister for Tourism and Heritage Simai Mohamed Saidi said he expected the celebrity to promote Zanzibar's rich attractions.

He said this recently when  Mr. Gonzalez reached the archipelago on his way from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt. 

Mr. Simai said the appointment of Gonzalez as the Isles' tourism ambassador was among efforts being made to promote the archipelago and Tanzania in general as a leading tourist destination.

"We expect him to use the social media networks to sell the country in leading tourism markets in the globe", he said.

The Spaniard is also making a documentary during his journey, expected to last for a total of 600 days and which he will trek through at least eleven countries.

These are South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana,Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. 

If he achieves his goal of reaching Cairo, Egypt, he would be the youngest Spaniard and the youngest person in recorded history to have crossed the entire length of Africa on foot.

Rahim Bhaloo,the chairperson of the Zanzibar Tourism Commission said he sees Gonzalez as yet another good omen for the sector. 

He said the Commission has in recent years hired different well-known personalities like the celebrities, to promote Zanzibar destination.

Only two years ago (2021), the Commission picked an Indian actor Sanjay Dutt as the archipelago's tourism ambassador.

"All of them (those appointed tourism ambassadors) did a good job", he said, noting that Gonzalez - a professional dancer - was once associated with Michael Jackson, the late King of Pop. 

Speaking after landing in the Isles, the Spaniard trekking from Cape to Cairo, said although his trip is full of challenges, he was passionate about it.

Travelling on foot, he had weathered the animal infested jungles and politically unstable sections of some countries, risking his life and limbs.

He acknowledged that Africa was truly incredible given its wildlife splendour, noting'"Africa is the best continent for me".

Turning to Zanzibar, he said, the Isles represented an unmatched destination for the visitors given its sandy beaches, pristine forests and monkeys and historical sites.

Zanzibar is one of the four top destinations in Tanzania for the foreign tourists after the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The archipelago received nearly 394,200 tourists in 2021 after the number of the visitors shrunk to 260,000 due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Before the pandemic, the figure had reached 538,000 visitors. That was in 2019. 

It is estimated that tourism accounts for more than 27 percent of Zanzibar’s Growth Domestic Product and 80 percent of foreign exchange earnings. 

Gonzalez was recently in Arusha where he climbed Ol Doinyo Lengai, the active volcanic mountain in Lake Natron basin, some 120 km northwest of the city. 

He did scale the sacred 2,962 metre high mountain of the Maasai during night in the full moon of the chilly July.