Less expensive than the Maldives, this destination is popular in 2024.
Are you dreaming of turquoise waters, white sand, coconut trees…? When you think of this, a few legendary destinations keep coming back. Hawaii, Bora-Bora, but also the Seychelles or the Maldives. With its many islets, its hotels on stilts and its dream beaches, the Maldives have everything to make you dream. Except the price! Flight, accommodation, catering but also taxes of all kinds, the archipelago is inaccessible to many budgets.
What if we offered you a much cheaper alternative, with fewer hours of flights and which is emerging as one of the trendy destinations of the year 2024? This little, more economical paradise is nicknamed “the spice island” and also offers sumptuous beaches like in the Maldives. You can find a hotel room there for less than 100 euros per week while a meal at a restaurant is around 5 euros.
In addition to its attractive prices, this “spice island” seduces with its warm climate all year round with temperatures ranging between 20 and 30 degrees. Summer, from at least June, is a good time to go there. Have you guessed? Yes, it is Zanzibar, the small island off the coast of Tanzania. With its attractive prices, vacationers have everything they need to fully enjoy the sublime beaches of the east coast, from Kiwengwa to Pingwe via Jambiani. Lovers of idleness will be delighted.
But Zanzibar is not just about its beaches! The island also allows you to immerse yourself in Swahili culture by strolling through the colorful streets of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nature lovers can go on safari to meet elephants and giraffes in Mikumi National Park or observe red colobus monkeys, a rare species of monkey, in the Jozani forest.
So many assets that attract a growing number of visitors. Reservations have exploded since 2022, making Zanzibar one of the trendy destinations for 2024, following in the footsteps of the Balearic Islands and the Canaries. Nearly a million tourists are expected this year, compared to only 550,000 in 2022.
Unfortunately, this success already has a downside. The rapid rise of mass tourism is already upsetting the balance of the island. Concrete constructions are multiplying to the detriment of nature. Dolphins and turtles, disturbed by visitors, are deserting the coastline. Hotel waste is piling up in illegal dumps and polluting the water tables.
Faced with this situation, the authorities have decided to regulate access to certain sites such as the preserved island of Mnemba, which became a protected marine reserve in June 2023. From now on, only 80 visitors per day can go there for 25 euros. An emergency measure taken to try to save the corals and underwater life, threatened by overcrowding. Zanzibar is therefore already at a turning point and will have to find a balance to preserve its natural treasures…