IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) and its strategic partner Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) have opened a new resort in Zanzibar.

The hotel was inaugurated in the presence of president of Zanzibar and chairman of the Revolutionary Council Amani A Karume.

The First Lady of Zanzibar Shadia Karume, deputy chief minister of Zanzibar Ali Juma Shamuhuna and the minister of tourism, trade and investment Sameer Suluhu Hassan were also present on the occasion.

Global luxury hotel leader Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (Fairmont) have been appointed to manage the resort. The property has been branded Fairmont Zanzibar and travellers will now enjoy a unique and enriching experience in the newly renovated resort.

'We already have a successful relationship with Fairmont across many of our African developments, so the decision to appoint them as the operator of our Zanzibar property was a natural one. Guests may now enjoy a full African experience, from the continent’s famed snorkelling and diving to its safaris and beaches, within our East Africa collection:  Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, and now Fairmont Zanzibar,” chairman and managing director, IFA HR, Talal Jassim Al-Bahar.

IFA HR is currently developing a number of properties that Fairmont will also manage, including several on the iconic Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai as well as Fairmont Zimbali on the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

The choice for IFA HR and KHI to invest in the original Zanzibar Beach Hotel & Resort was a natural one given the region’s beauty and its increasing popularity as a tourist destination. The number of visitors to the archipelago has been rising annually at a rate of over 25 per cent a year since 2003.

The resort is located on the North East coast of Zanzibar’s main Island (Ungunja), 55 minutes from Zanzibar Kisauni International Airport. Fringed by the east coast’s 45 kms of powder white sandy beach, the hotel occupies a 350-metre stretch of pristine open beachfront. 

The 109 newly renovated and comfortably appointed rooms and suites are spread throughout the property’s vast and lush tropical gardens.  Future expansion of the resort will continue, offering a selection of different asset classes for potential investors, such as private residence and vacation clubs.

One of the resort’s main attractions is its unsurpassed water sports facilities, providing windsurfing, boating, fishing charters, as well as a fully equipped dive centre with a decompression chamber, one of only three in Africa and the Indian Ocean. – TradeArabia News Service