Written by
Faridah Kulumba
Africa-Press – Tanzania. On Tuesday this week France inaugurated a new flight that will see passengers travel direct from the French capital Paris to Tanzania’s archipelago Zanzibar.
The French Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester, who officiated the launch landed in Zanzibar with the direct flight from Paris, the first in close to 50 years, by The Citizen.
Strengthening ties
According to the French Minister Reiester, this new development will help both Tanzania and France strengthen tourism ties and foster more growth.
Benefits
This move is aimed to boost Tanzania’s tourism sector which had taken a hit following the global Covid-19 pandemic. Zanzibar, which relies on tourism to run its economy, was the hardest hit as global travel restrictions saw a limited number of tourists visiting the island.
French tourists are among the leading travellers who visit Tanzania. Currently, an average of 7,000 tourists from France arrive in Tanzania each month, with the number set to rise with the inauguration of the new Paris-Zanzibar direct flight.
France-Tanzania cooperate and economic relations
The Agence France for Development has been increasing its commitments in Tanzania at a fast pace since 2010 (totalling €390.6 million or €50 million a year), mainly in the sectors of water and energy, transport infrastructure, urban development and private support.
Despite a recent increase in activity, France remains a modest trading partner of Tanzania. Exports are on an upward trend but remain volatile, after reaching €160 million in 2015, France exports fell to €127 million in 2016. Almost two third of these exports are pharmaceuticals.
