Tourism is one of the most significant sources of income for Zanzibar, but now the beer problem is threatening cash flows.
Alcohol shortage threatens the tourism of the Zanzibar archipelago, says BBC.
Tourism is one of the most significant sources of income for Zanzibar, but now the beer problem is threatening cash flows. According to the BBC, the price of beer has risen by almost one hundred percent due to problems in the supply chain. The production of alcohol in Zanzibar is prohibited, and most of it is imported from Tanzania and South Africa.
The problem is already visible in the islands' hotels. Many places currently only sell lemonade, and people have to travel from their beach resort to Zanzibar city center.
In an interview with the BBC, a local entrepreneur demanded that the government intervene.
“My bar is running out of beer, and I only have sodas in stock. The government must act. It's peak season now, it's really hot, and tourists need joy. They need a cold beer,” Mshengaa man named told the BBC.
Temperatures of around 27-33 degrees have been promised for the city of Zanzibar this week.
Archipelago the minister of tourism even resigned a while ago, and some have suspected that the reason is the alcohol supply problems.
According to the BBC, the problems started after the authority that regulates alcohol import licenses did not grant extension licenses to three major alcohol importers at the beginning of the year. According to the BBC, it is not known why the permits were not extended.
Instead, the authority granted permits to three new companies in January. However, according to local entrepreneurs, these three have not managed to meet the demand.
Zanzibar is an autonomous region of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. In addition to tourism, a significant livelihood in Zanzibar is spices, and the Zanzibar archipelago is also known as the Spice Island.
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