Tourism development is a part of our project in Uzi Island, besides environmental conservation, environmental education and general development and income generating initiatives for the local population. You can read the complete text about our Uzi Island project here.

The idea of tourism development in Uzi is to bring day visitors to the island who are interested in the island's nature and culture. The revenues of this type of tourism should be used to finance our environmental conservation efforts and development of the island.

Uzi is one of the few locations in Zanzibar which are totally pristine and where little has changed during the last centuries. The population almost completly consists of farmers and fishermen. However it is only a matter of time when Uzi will be hit by mass tourism and when the first beach resorts will open in Uzi. The Uzians, who are conservative Muslims, have opposed this type of tourism so far, based on their big concerns about tourists who walk through the village "half naked", drunk crowds etc,, which are aspects they have seen of heard about from Zanzibar's main tourism spots such as Nungwi or the Italian all-inclusive resorts of the North-East coast.

However, poverty is a reality on the island and the prospect of good money will make many Uzians sell their beach plots to investors, forgetting their moral doubts. According to rumours, this has already happend in several cases, but construction of resorts has not yet been started. Poverty is also the main reason, why the coastal population destroy their living space, the Menai Bay. 

The aim of our project is to establish tourism in Uzi from which the local population can generate some income, but to make this happen through a form of tourism which respects and appreciates the values of the Uzian society, and which supports the island's general development and environmental conservation.

Our sea turtle lagoon, which is more of a centre for coastal ecology than just a sea turtle lagoon, serves as the "Unique Selling Point" and the main factor why tourists visit Uzi; it is an attraction through which Uzi can distinguish itself from other villages in Zanzibar where cultural tourism already takes place with rather mediocre success.

See here a sketch of the lagoon with thematic areas (PDF, 512 kb).

Two products have been considered viable:

First, a full time visit to the island. Visitors will come to Uzi, depending on the tides, either by car/minibus, or by boat from Unguja Ukuu, Kizimkazi or other locations of the Menai Bay. They will move through Uzi on an oxcart and will visit the village of Uzi (incl. its kindergarten, dispensary, a typical house where lunch is being taken), a seaweed plantation, mangrove areas and the sea turtle lagoon. We are already running these visits on a limited scale.

The second product will be just a visit of the marine turtle lagoon (1-2 hours) for tourists who take part in a sailing boat trip at the Menai Bay.

The tasks of tourism development include:

* Developing an understanding amongst the Uzians about which forms of tourism are beneficial to them and which ones not, and how tourism can improve their lives. According to our survey in Uzi, many Uzians see tourism as something totally undifferentiated, equalling it with Sun-and-Beach mass tourism with a rather negative connotation.

* Marketing for Uzi tourism - at the beach hotels along Menai Bay; Stone Town; with local and international tour operators.

* Improvement of the visit to Uzi in cooperation with the village community. Individuals can for instance do handcrafts presentations to include in the tour

* Implementation of a small shop where souvenirs and products made in Uzi can be offered to tourists

* Partnerships with operators of sailing touris in the Menai Bay

* Improvement of a visit to the sea turtle lagoon, for instance training of guides, improvement of the contents which are being communicated

* Partnership with ecotourism organisations, other marine turtle conservation projects etc.

This activity is suitable as an internship and as a volunteering option. Participants should be proactive and motivated to work for the benefit of sustainable tourism development in Uzi; they should further show sensitivity when dealing with locals and should be able to produce results based on tasks in a relatively independent work environment.

Info box:

Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Duration: Minimum 1 months

Special qualification required: See above 

Costs: free of charge. Trouble-free package is optional

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Not included

Included: Placement in the project; if you opt for the trouble-free package the whole range of services which is part of the trouble-free package is included

Not included: Travel, health insurance, visa, work permit