Tourism lab programme report
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- 1.2 The Rationale of the Multisectoral Tourism Development Program
- 1.3 Adopted Approach and Methodology
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 BackgroundThe Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar aims to increase economic growth. Key policies which set out what needs to be done include the Zanzibar Vision 2020, the Zanzibar Growth Strategy and the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUZA I & II). To further promote economic growth, the government of Zanzibar has started to translate these plans into detailed programmes that can be implemented by the communities, government and other stakeholders. Between 2007 and 2012, Zanzibar made impressive strides towards reaching its stated objectives as economic growth reached an average of 6.4% p.a. (OCGS, Economic Survey 2012) while the percentage of population living below the poverty line decreased from 49.1% in 2005/06 to 44.4% in 2010. Agriculture is still a core economic activity although its contribution has declined due to the cyclical nature of cloves production and over-supply in the world market. When cloves prices were low in the world market, Zanzibar experienced low economic growth rate and therefore agricultural-based growth has been unsustainable. Recently, Zanzibar has opted to diversify the economy into other - more promising – sectors including trade and tourism. Given Zanzibar’s natural advantages, tourism can be a key economic growth promoting activity. In 2010, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar set a target of 250,000 tourist arrivals per year by 2015. Some progress has already been made towards this goal. In 2013, Zanzibar hosted 181,301 (ZCT 2014) tourists indicating an estimated rate of increase of 3.45% per annum and accounting for over 60,000 jobs. Statistics indicate that in 2012 hotels and restaurants accounted for 6.5% of Zanzibar’s GDP (OCGS, Economic Survey 2012) and tourism tax revenue reached Tsh.27 billion (Zanzibar Revenue Board, 2013). However, progress has been also associated with negative environmental and social effects that threaten the sustainability of the sector. The tourism sector has a wider spillover effect into other sectors including environmental and cultural resources, economic infrastructure, amenities and facilities, and service management. Therefore Zanzibar has recognised the need for a Multisectoral Tourism Development Program (MTDP) as a strategic tool that will provide overall direction for future tourism development. The MTDP reflects National Tourism Policy that tourism should be culturally and environmentally sensitive and based on fewer high-spending tourists. Services provided should be of the highest quality and mass tourism should be discouraged. This view has been widely supported in discussions with various players in the public and private sectors. In particular, the MKUZA II implementation plan (2010-2015) places an emphasis on the development of exciting and iconic tourism initiatives, proper management of tourism industry and a focus on tourism promotional activities.
With clear goals and a road map, instruments could be identified to enable their implementation. Other sectors could be engaged to support the development of tourism. For example, the development of infrastructure could be carried out in tandem with the Tourism Master Plan. Priority for infrastructure development (e.g. roads) could be directed and placed in areas with a potential for tourism growth. Thus, the overall object of the Tourism Lab is to formulate the Multisectoral Tourism Development Program (MTDP) to further enhance tourism development in the country and enhance the role of the sector as one of the key sectors in the economic transformation strategy. 1.3 Adopted Approach and MethodologyGiven the significance of tourism to the Zanzibar’s economy, it is imperative that tourism is maintained as an economic driver for the local economy as well as managed in a sustainable way to enhance and conserve the natural environment and protect the well-being of Zanzibar’s residents. With this objective at heart, the ‘Lab’ methodology used for compiling a Multisectoral Tourism Development Program was comprehensive and integrates a number of elements that in turn led to the formulation of sub-programs and a number of projects. A ‘Lab’ is an intense problem-solving environment within a dedicated physical workspace with a full time team working in iterative manner towards delivering results. It is typically a consultative approach whereby different stakeholders go deeper to identify issues, proposed solutions, priorities and synergies among sectors. The Laboratory approach is not only a cost effective planning method, but also it has proven successful elsewhere, such as Malaysia and Tanzania Mainland, where they managed to overcome the structural barriers which prevent all sections of government working jointly together to address a problem. Given its potential, the RGoZ has decided to adopt this planning methodology. Before the Lab itself, the Zanzibar Planning Commission (ZPC) consulted with key stakeholders including the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI), Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA), Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ZNCCIA) and Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) to create an agenda of specific constraints to the growth of the sector. The government then worked with the same organisations to identify the most important and relevant participants from the private sector to join the Lab, including tour operators, hotel and restaurant owners, handicraft shop owners, food suppliers and more. The list also includes representatives from across government ministries and departments who can cover the following areas: environmental and cultural resources; economic infrastructure; amenities and facilities; enabling environment; and service management. A number of brainstorming workshops and syndications with industry stakeholders were conducted. Representatives from central government, MDAs, communities and the private sector attended these workshops and syndications.
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