In this presentation we focus’ on how tourism is a major generator of solid waste in Zanzibar. Tourist from OECD countries bring with them the lifestyle that replicate the waste generation from their native country, not only the volume of waste follows the tourist but also the composition. In Zanzibar, the composition is 80 percent organic material, but in OECD countries, the composition is only 25 to 30 percent organic material. This leaves Zanzibar’s traditional organic based waste handling system unable to handle the tourism waste.

In this presentation we will discuss how tourism affects the daily water use in Zanzibar and how a significant water consumption, has the potential of undermining the sustainability of the tourist sector in Zanzibar. Zanzibar has a great water disparity with 15 times higher daily water use per tourist compared with local residents.

This presentation introduces the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development (2017). In continuation of this, we will present and discuss data from the World Tourism Organization.

In this presentation, we will discuss how tourism development affects the coral reefs and in continuation of this, we will examine the Crown-of-Thorn Starfish invasion around Zanzibar. Reefs sustain human society, such as fishermen's livelihood and they are also a key asset for the tourist industry. However, the reefs are also under pressure from a range of human induced stresses, including the expanding tourism.

In this presentation, we will discuss what happens to low-income countries like Zanzibar, when tourists arrive and continue their western lifestyle in a tropical setting with scare resources. We will among other focus on the wastewater generated, the consequences of water use and the tons of solid waste generated by the tourists.