TBM Staff - Mumbai An Indian delegation led by Legendary Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar met the President of Zanzibar today to discuss issues related to further developing Zanzibar as a tourism sports & entertainment destination.
The president of Zanzibar, His Excellency Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, welcomed the suggestions of the Indian delegation and promised to cooperate and extend his full support, while allocating the project to JHIL Enterprises.
Speaking about the execution of the project, the President said, “This is a landmark day for Zanzibar as we lay the foundation stone for the first integrated sports and tourism complex in East Africa.”
“This project will not only help in increasing the tourism numbers to Zanzibar but also open new avenues for sports, entertainment, culture and investment in our unique destination. ”
At this event, the President also appointed four Goodwill Ambassadors for Zanzibar across various verticals.
Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Gavaskar who was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for Sports Infrastructure said, “I’m delighted to be appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for Zanzibar. It’s a huge honour. With a country as beautiful as this and some of the most interesting and affectionate people, it will be a pleasure to promote Zanzibar wherever I can. ”
On being appointed as one of the brand ambassadors, the entertainment Baron – Kunal Kapoor said, “It’s an honour. From the entertainment perspective, I believe Zanzibar can be developed as an East African Hub for culture & entertainment for the whole of the African continent. I also believe that it can become a great destination for the Indian Film industry for both shootings as well as recreational purposes.”
Zubin Karkaria – CEO, VFS Global on being appointed as the brand ambassador from the tourism vertical added, “It is of course a great honour and privilege to be appointed as Goodwill Ambassador by the President of Zanzibar. From the tourism perspective, I think I can personally & professionally add value to this outstanding destination and I am sure in the years ahead, Zanzibar will make its mark in the tourism spectrum of East Africa.”
On his appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador for the media and travel trade vertical, Sheldon Santwan, Editor-in-chief & CEO – Travel Biz Monitor said, “It’s a pleasure and an honour to be appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for Zanzibar, especially so since I have been associated with this destination for over a decade and have been consistently promoting and writing about this destination in my professional capacity.”
This visionary project has been allocated to JHIL Enterprises and spearheading this project is Jilesh Babla, who added, “We have today embarked on a journey to work towards creating world class Sports, Tourism & Theatre Infrastructure in Zanzibar. It’s a project aimed at making Zanzibar a hub for Sports, Culture & Entertainment thereby creating jobs & opportunities to further enhance tourism. I’m thankful for the unconditional support provided by His Excellency President Mwyini & his Government. We will make all efforts to bring our plans to fruition.”
This mega project will include world class sports infrastructure in Zanzibar’s most elite neighborhood. It will also encompass the world’s first sports museum in Africa with the first cricket stadium in Zanzibar including a 100 room hotel. Also the first ‘Centre for sports excellence’ which includes five sporting activities: cricket, tennis, football, swimming & athletics. This integrated complex will also include the first global hospitality institute in East Africa.
