The Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar is expecting more foreign tourists this year compared with last year, a local tourism official said on Monday.

 

Issa Ahmed Othman, chairman of the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, said that the isles were expecting the foreign tourist number to reach 130,000 this year. The 97,342 foreign visitors who had come to Zanzibar between this January and March laid a solid foundation for attaining the government-projected number.

 

In 2005, there were 125,443 foreign visitors coming to Zanzibar, 26 percent higher than 2004.

 

The official said that most of last year's foreign tourists came from Britain, Italy, Scandinavian countries, the Middle East and other African countries.

 

Tourism revenues increased to account for one fifth of Zanzibar 's gross domestic product last year and the Zanzibar Tourism Commission expects the tourism revenue to account for up to 30 percent of the annual GDP by the year 2020.

 

The tourism season in Zanzibar starts in June each year and lasts till after the Christmas holidays.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2006)