MTI Investment SE (ticker: MTI), listed on Nasdaq First North, and HotelOnline Kenya Ltd announce the launch of a unique booking portal, www.sustainablezanzibar.com, for sustainable tourism to the paradise island Zanzibar, linking sustainable tourism with sustainable waste management. Joining Sustainable Zanzibar will provide hotels with increased visibility, recognition for their sustainable practices, and access to a large network of booking agents and travellers interested in sustainable tourism.
The booking portal (www.sustainablezanzibar.com) is initially developed to help travel agents across the world to better select hotels that are verified to be using a sustainable waste management practice in Zanzibar. Specifically excluded from the portal are hotels using a waste management service provider engaged in illegal dumping, burning the waste openly, or other unsustainable waste management practices. Together with Hotel Online, we are bringing on board the first verified 100 hotels to be presented on the site. Interested hotels are welcome to register their interest using this link. Along with the booking portal, a 10-minute mini-documentary called “Towards a sustainable Zanzibar” is published on MTI Investment´s YouTube channel, see this link.
Many dream of a visit to Seychelles, the Maldives, Mauritius, or Zanzibar. However, sustainable waste handling has been the Achilles heel of most tropical island paradise islands. The Maldives is known for having capitulated and used a lagoon on the Thilafushi island as a dump site. At the Seychelles, a disaster is enfolding at the neighbouring Aldabra atoll, now full of fishing gear and some 60.000 flip-flops. With the tourism industry growing at record speed in Zanzibar, the critical infrastructure and know-how of sustainable waste management, as a basis for sustainable tourism, needs everyone´s focus and attention.
One such initiative was recently introduced at the 2023 Zanzibar Investment and Travel Exhibition (ZTITE), where hotels and other stakeholders were asked to sign a Declaration on Sustainable Tourism. MTI Investment SE was one of the sponsors of the event and will together with its associated company Zanrec Plastics Co. Ltd, actively support the Green Tourism Roadmap in the coming years. With the help of this unique booking portal, we are further incentivizing and promoting the leading green hotels of Zanzibar – hotels that are independently verified to be using sustainable waste management practices, including having a waste collector who is not dumping or burning the waste in illegal landfills. The benefits to a traveller interested in a visit to Zanzibar are the following:
- Easy access to trusted and independently verified sustainable hotels in Zanzibar
- Competitive prices with participating hotels as we negotiate directly
- Real positive impact on the local environment, the health of both humans and animals, and also through job creation and support of local communities
Pontus Engström, CEO of MTI Investment says: “Sustainable tourism starts with sustainable waste management. It is easy to give the impression that a hotel is sustainable, but if the waste which is generated at the hotel ends up being dumped or burnt in open and illegal landfills, then the hotel engages itself in environmental disinformation or greenwashing. The launch of this platform will improve the perceived value of the waste management services offered by Zanrec, and provide a stronger incentive for hotels to join Zanrec.”
Håvar Bauck, co-founder of Hotel Online says: “We are extremely excited to team up with like-minded hoteliers in Zanzibar. Travellers are increasingly looking to support a tourism industry that strives to reduce its environmental footprint. Through this project, we can help promote the players who share our vision and values. Joining Sustainable Zanzibar offers increased visibility and recognition to hotels that operate sustainably, and helps turn sustainable practices into a competitive edge.”
Certified Adviser
The Company’s Certified Adviser is Mangold Fondkommission AB.
For additional information
Pontus Engström, CEO, MTI Investment SE
[email protected]
+46 70 716 55 38
Håvar Bauck, Co-founder, Hotel Online Kenya Ltd
[email protected]
+254 787 400 000
About MTI Investment SE
MTI Investment SE is a Nordic investment and venture-building company, founded in 2014 by a team with extensive experience in emerging markets to invest in East African small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) with high value-adding potential. The Company is active in the expansive East African market, and by being a long-term and active owner, MTI Investment helps its portfolio companies grow faster and become more profitable. The Company invests primarily in innovative and scalable companies that have the potential for a significant positive impact on society.