Vast empty beaches where social distancing is the norm rather than the exception. A UNESCO-protected historic Old Town. Accommodation for every taste and budget. Hygienic measures up to international standards. After two months of self-isolation, Zanzibar, the palm fringed archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is open for business again – one of the first holiday destinations in the world to do so.

When the coronavirus first hit its shores on March 18, Zanzibar was one of the fastest growing vacation spots in Africa. But like travel locations all over the world, it opted to close hotels and shut down flights – to protect itself and others.

There is an opportunity in the period after the corona crisis, global experts say. If tourism is gently restarted, excesses of the past can the counteracted and local benefits truly increased. Sort of a “less-jet-skis-more-education” formula. Could that be the new normal even for Zanzibar? Come and see for yourself.

Zanzibar inakusubiri.