Zanzibar President, Dr Hussein Mwinyi officiated the premiering of the Royal Tour film here, alerting the country to get set for influx of tourists as a result of massive promotion brought about by the documentary.
He also expressed his sincere gratitude to President Samia Suluhu Hassan for the great idea of producing the documentary which is a unique way to advertise and promote Tanzania's abundant tourism attractions.
"I also laud President Samia for braving to take part in the filming throughout and for directing that the launch should also be held in Zanzibar," Dr Mwinyi said amid cheers from the audience at a well-attended screening of the documentary held at the Golden Tulip Hotel- Airport.
"This documentary will definitely result into huge influx of tourist arrivals in Tanzania," he said.
Dr Mwinyi also thanked the organising team of the event and stakeholders for their contribution.
He said the aim of the Royal Tour documentary is to promote tourism, investment and culture.
"We have virgin beaches, heritage sites and unique national parks - Serengeti, Ngorongoro and many others. Tanzania is the best place to visit and the country is blessed with variety of investment opportunities. In Tanzania, one will certainly enjoy the culture and a unique language -- Kiswahili," said the president.
He said that the Royal Tour is a modern way of advertising Tanzania to the world as televisions and social media are effectively being used to highlight the documentary.
"Our expectations after the launching of this documentary among others are success in boosting tourism sector, bringing in more investors, and telling the world about our culture," he said.
Dr Mwinyi directed all service providers in hospitality industry to prepare to cater for the expected influx of tourists' arrivals and investors.
"We have a good number of hotels in Zanzibar, but they may not be enough for the expected big number of tourists... it is an opportunity for investors to set up their new establishments in hospitality industry here," said the president.
He said that in order to increase hotels, the government decided to lease un-utilised small islands in the Indian Ocean within the Zanzibar territory.
"The government's intention is good as we take environmental conservation seriously through encouraging ecotourism," he noted.
The Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Mr Simai Mohamed Said noted that the documentary will revolutionise the tourism industry in the country.
"It is a great honour for Tanzanians as our leaders President Samia and Dr Mwinyi have deliberately advertised our tourist attraction sites to the world," he said.
Commenting about the Royal Tour premiering in Zanzibar, Mr Arafat Ali Haji- from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) said President Samia initiative has propelled Tanzania tourism sector to a higher level.
"We should celebrate and be proud of President Samia and Dr Mwinyi for their commitment and being creative to ensure both Mainland and Zanzibar move forward economically. This has also opened doors for us in the film industry to go global," said a stake holder in film industry, Mr Eliya Mjatta.
Earlier, Royal Tour Film Committee members Mr Sharif Ali Sharif, who is also the Executive Director of ZIPA and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage Ms Fatma Mbarouk briefed the audience about the documentary and how Zanzibar was involved.
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Sharif said "The Royal Tour strengthened our Union as Zanzibar was fully involved. The documentary targets many people and in return, we will have benefits for Zanzibar and the mainland," Mr Sharif said.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sports Dr Hassan Abbasi said that it was a great opportunity since President Samia and Dr Mwinyi took part in the film, as he thanked Mr Peter Greenberg, an expert in tourism for producing the documentary.
The attendees included the First Lady Maryam Mwinyi, retired Union Vice-President Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilali, Speaker of Zanzibar House of Representatives Mr Zubeir Ali Maulid, politicians from different political parties, members of the business community, artists from both Zanzibar and Tanzania mainland, investors in tourism industry, hoteliers and students.
