An economy dependent on cloves
Half of the working population of the Zanzibar archipelago lives from fishing and agriculture, mainly in Pemba, which grows three times as many cloves as Unguja. In 2020, agriculture generated 21% of the archipelago's GDP. Locally, cassava and banana plantations remain the most important crops in Unguja, but clove cultivation largely dominates Pemba's economy. Small informal markets enable many families to sell a few vegetables to meet their needs. Another important activity on the island is red seaweed aquaculture in Unguja, particularly towards Pajé on the south coast, which generates a certain local economy, but whose international price is stable, and which generated $4.3 million in 2020. Finally, handicrafts accounted for $4.7 million in exports. Industry, which accounts for 15% of the archipelago's GDP, is also generated by cloves, since the processing of this spice and other essential oils (citronella, eucalyptus, ylang-ylang) in the island's two distilleries (in Stone Town and Chake Chake) constitutes the archipelago's sole industrial activity. The sector is limited, so many manufactured goods are imported: clothes, shoes... notably from China and India. This dependence is costing the islanders dearly. It remains to be seen whether the world price of cloves will hold up and continue to provide a substantial income for the archipelago, particularly Pemba.
Glaring inequalities between villages and luxury hotels
The most sensitive issue is undoubtedly the distribution of the benefits of this luxury tourism. Although some locals inherit jobs in the resorts (owned by European investors), they are often employed as housekeepers and unskilled workers (handymen, gardeners, etc.), due to a lack of access to training and a lack of job opportunities for women in a very conservative Muslim society. As a result, hotels employ many "mainland" Tanzanians, trained in schools in Dar es Salaam, who speak English and Swahili. They pay heavy taxes to the state, but corruption prevents any progress for the villagers. They charge very high prices, between US$50 and US$200 a night, while the majority of the population lives on less than US$2 a day... The contrast is striking: children on the roadsides walk to school or wait for overcrowded dala-dala buses. There is no running water or electricity in the villages (there is usually a well)... Apart from a few private initiatives, there are no real cultural, economic or educational development projects associated with the hotels. This is a pity, as it would enhance interaction between tourists and locals. The solidarity economy still has a long way to go before finding its place in the sun in Zanzibar's lucrative tourism economy..
An island threatened by ultra-concrete complexes
The five-year (2016-2021) development plan targeted a capacity of 2 million tourists by 2021. The new terminal at Zanzibar airport is part of this plan, with a capacity to handle an additional 1.5 million visitors a year. A long-awaited step forward, given the chaos that reigns at the airport. But the spectacular development of such an economy already has a downside: soil erosion, the disappearance of the mangrove (although part of it is protected in the Jozani National Park) and the increasing scarcity of water, since a tourist uses an average of 180 liters per year, compared with 40 liters for a local. Overfishing of crabs, lobsters, octopus and fish to supply luxury hotels is also a problem. In fact, most lobsters are imported from Tanga via the large Mkokotoni market. Apart from the center of Nungwi, historically the first to be built, where resorts eat up the main beach, the island has not yet suffered from massive concrete development. The bungalows are generally made of wood with natural makuti roofs, without distorting the landscape. Nevertheless, new hotels are opening every year and a major development project has begun in the north of the island: six large-capacity multinational resort hotels. In 2021, the project to build Africa's tallest 70-storey tower has been signed, right in the Zanzibar lagoon, by powerful Emiratis. The pharaonic shopping complex, 15 km from Stone Town, promises jobs for local residents, with the idea of attracting Arab customers, but also a gigantic environmental mess, both aquatic and terrestrial, which risks driving away customers from the beautiful, unspoilt beaches all over the island.
The harassing proliferation of beach boys
So much wealth on the doorstep of villages, with no real redistribution, creates envy. This inequality has led to the proliferation of "beach boys" or papaasi ("parasite" in Swahili). These are touts who try to sell you classic tours of the island, or souvenirs, jewelry and so on. These tours are organized directly by other locals, in competition with official agencies. There are no regulations on the island governing these practices. Don't be surprised to be accosted on the beach by these notorious beach boys. Some are very insistent, others start the conversation in a relaxed way, but it's the incessant repetition of these conversations that's tiring. If you want to relax and take a nap, it's best to sit on a deckchair up the beach. Maasai are stationed at the entrance to the resorts to prevent beach boys from bothering guests. Not necessarily a positive image of Zanzibar for visitors.
Corruption on the decline, but undermining development
Prior to John Magifuli's election as President of Tanzania, corruption was such that it was impossible to drive in Zanzibar without being hassled at every checkpoint on the island by policemen aggressively demanding "backshishi" (in Swahili) and large sums of money for offences you hadn't committed. A real racket. Today it's all over, phew! You can drive in peace both in Zanzibar and on the Tanzanian mainland, as the police have orders not to bother tourists any more. It's a different story for local cars, however. Although the Tanzanian president (now deceased and replaced by his vice-president) was not without his virtues, and was beginning to slip into authoritarianism, he did keep his word when it came to starting to clean up corruption. Nearly 10,000 corrupt civil servants or those found to have false diplomas have been dismissed since his election, and the financial windfall from tourism is now landing in the state coffers thanks to a new system of payment via bank tills. It remains to be seen whether this money will finally be redistributed to build decent infrastructure for the population: roads (a new road has already been built between Stone Town and Nungwi), dispensaries, schools, electricity, running water..
A conservative society, naked tourists
In 2004, fundamentalists tried to impose Sharia law in Zanzibar, carrying out a number of attacks and assaults, and ransacking the house of the mufti, Zanzibar's highest Muslim religious authority. Since their arrest and imprisonment, there has been no fundamentalist threat to Zanzibar's image. Although the 2015 and 2020 elections were marked by tension, Zanzibar is stable overall. Nevertheless, the attitude of the growing number of tourists, who are increasingly disrespectful of local customs, is extremely irritating to the conservative elders. Whereas in the past, the small number of visitors were careful to cover their legs and shoulders in Stone Town and the villages, nowadays groups of people can be seen strolling around in almost no clothing at all. A US$1,000 fine to hotels for each person walking around Stone Town in inappropriate clothing is being planned to ease the pressure, but it will be difficult for hotels to enforce, as tourism opens up to a mass industry and customers who care little about the impact of their presence in Zanzibar.
