A glass of beer at sunset, facing the Indian Ocean.
Since the beginning of the year, tourists visiting Zanzibar have been deprived of this little pleasure.
The hoppy drink is in short supply on the “Spice Island”, a semi-autonomous territory attached to Tanzania, known for its heavenly beaches and diving sites.
The rare bottles in stock saw their price double, going on average from 2,500 to 5,000 Tanzanian shillings (i.e. from €0.90 to €1.80).
This shortage is far from being taken lightly by tourism professionals who fear that visitors will desert the destination, as highlighted in a BBC
report
.
At the origin of this situation: the non-renewal by the Zanzibar Liquor Control Board (ZLCB) of the license of the three importers established for twenty years.
Since local production of alcohol is prohibited in Zanzibar, whose population is predominantly Muslim, beer is imported from mainland Tanzania and even South Africa.
Although three new suppliers were appointed at the beginning of January, they are slow to begin their first deliveries due to the annual fees requested and administrative burdens.
According to the Tanzanian newspaper
The Citizen
, this blockage could last at least another six months.
Tourism represents up to 90% of hoteliers' revenues
The affair embarrassed the highest levels of the state, to the point that the Minister of Tourism, Simai Mohammed Said, resigned at the end of January.
He cited “
unfavorable working conditions
” that did not allow him to implement his program and deplored the lack of transparency of the Zanzibar Liquor Control Board (ZLCB) in its decision to suspend alcohol sales licenses.
A penalizing decision knowing that tourism represents 30% of Zanzibar's GDP and up to 90% of the income of hoteliers and restaurateurs.
The latter, as well as beach bars and nightlife players, are on the front line and are all the more penalized as this crisis occurs at a time when the number of tourists is on the rise again.
Unable to open bottles of Safari or Serengeti (two of the most popular brands in Tanzania), the bars only have sodas, water and hot drinks on the menu.
“
It’s high season, it’s very hot
[the period from December to February being the hottest with more than 30°C on average, editor’s note]
and tourists need […] to drink cold beers on the beaches "
, worries the manager of a beach bar interviewed by the
BBC
.