Tourism as a catalyst: Three new TUI Care Foundation initiatives in Zanzibar empower youth, boost livelihoods and promote a circular economy

September 24, 2025

TUI Care Foundation

TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar empowers 300 young people and creates 100 new jobs through social innovation and entrepreneurship training
TUI Academy Zanzibar equips 80 young people with vocational skills to access careers in tourism and hospitality
Destination Zero Waste Zanzibar nurtures a new generation of entrepreneurs in sustainable waste management by establishing a training centre and incubation hub
Programmes are launched as part of TUI Care Foundation’s Tourism for Development Month, which focuses on projects that empower Least Developed Countries through sustainable tourism initiatives

Berlin, 24 September 2025.Zanzibar is renowned for its stunning landscapes and vibrant cultural heritage, making it an increasingly popular tourism destination. Yet, as part of one of the world’s Least Developed Countries, the island faces significant development challenges. These include limited access to quality education and employment, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure - particularly in waste management. The island’s growing tourism dependency brings opportunities for growth but also creates vulnerabilities - affecting not only the economy, but also the stability of local livelihoods and the resilience of communities. Addressing these issues requires inclusive, sustainable solutions that empower communities and protect the island’s natural assets.

To support youth empowerment and economic diversification in Zanzibar, the TUI Care Foundation is expanding its partnership with African NGO SINA through a new TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar project. The programme adopts the Social Innovation Academy model to help young Zanzibaris discover their purpose and improve their future prospects. In 2024, a pilot phase led to the creation of the Ubunifu Foundation by two young leaders, offering personal development, life coaching, and purpose-discovery training to 100 aspiring entrepreneurs. Building on this success, the project will now reach 300 young participants who engage in a structured five-stage programme focused on personal growth, entrepreneurial training, and social innovation. The initiative fosters the creation of social enterprises that address local challenges, aiming to generate at least 100 new jobs and support financial self-sustainability within three years. Additionally, the programme provides co-working space for 600 people and offers English language and digital literacy training. By equipping young people with the skills and confidence to launch viable businesses, the project promotes inclusive economic growth and strengthens community resilience.

To address the gap between the tourism sector’s employment potential and the lack of skilled local workers, TUI Care Foundation has launched a new phase of its vocational training initiative in partnership with Kawa Foundation. The TUI Academy Zanzibar trains 80 young Zanzibaris, with a focus on increasing female participation in tourism and hospitality. The orientation course aims to raise awareness about career opportunities and encourage enrolment in rural communities. Selected students receive intensive English language training and choose between specialised vocational paths in tourism, tour guiding or hospitality. The nine-month curriculum includes access to TUI E-Academy courses and culminates in internships at hotels and restaurants, supported by mentor workshops for host staff. Graduates also benefit from a career development club offering support with CV writing, interview preparation and job applications. The programme aims for 80% of graduates to secure employment within six months of completion, helping to build a skilled, confident workforce for Zanzibar’s tourism industry.

Destination Zero Waste Zanzibar, implemented in partnership with Chako, builds on a long-standing collaboration that addresses Zanzibar’s growing plastic and glass waste crisis through a comprehensive approach focused on waste reduction, upcycling, capacity building and waste awareness activities. By working with 250 tourism businesses, the initiative collects 1,080 tonnes of glass and plastic waste. This results in the production of 810,000 kg of upcycled glass and 52,000 kg of plastic transformed into high-quality interior products crafted by local artisans. A newly established training centre provides unemployed women and young people with hands-on experience in the full cycle of waste transformation - from collection to product design and production. In addition to technical and creative skills, trainees gain essential business competencies such as entrepreneurship, cost calculation and marketing. The centre aims to create or maintain 50 jobs, including 30 for women, and train 40 local people through workshops and one-to-one coaching. A complementary pilot incubation hub offers shared workspaces, access to specialised machinery, mentorship and small-scale financial support to artisans through loans and grants. To promote sustainable tourism, the project invites tourists and local groups to visit the factory and learn about upcycling and circular economy practices. An estimated 3,000 people are expected to participate in these educational experiences, reinforcing the value of sustainable production and responsible travel.

The TUI Care Foundation's 'Tourism for Development Month´ is a month of activities dedicated to projects set in Least Developed Countries. Through a series of project launches and educational activities, it focuses on how sustainable tourism can increase the capacity of destination communities and empower them to improve their livelihoods, conserve and regenerate nature, and create market-based solutions that benefit tourism destinations. The projects are supported through the TUI Care Foundation’s Tourism for Development Fund, which commits €10 million by 2030 to empower Least Developed Countries, a joint pledge of TUI Care Foundation and UN Tourism.

About the TUI Care Foundation

Building on the potential of tourism as a force for good, the TUI Care Foundation supports and initiates projects which create new opportunities and contribute to thriving communities in tourism destinations all over the world. Connecting holidaymakers to good causes, it supports education and training opportunities for young people; drives the protection of natural habitats and the marine environment; and helps local communities to thrive sustainably and benefit from tourism. The TUI Care Foundation builds on strong partnerships with local and international organisations to create meaningful and long-lasting impact. The independent charitable organisation was founded by TUI, one of the world's leading tourism businesses, and is based in the Netherlands. Website: www.tuicarefoundation.com

About SINA

SINA (Social Innovation Academy) is a fast-growing movement turning marginalized communities into ecosystems of changemaker-makers. Founded in Uganda in 2014 and now active in more than 23 locally owned, independently run communities across nine countries, SINA enables disadvantaged youth and refugees to build social enterprises, create jobs and tackle systemic challenges. Rooted in “freesponsibility”—freedom paired with radical responsibility—the SINA Framework shifts power from traditional aid and education structures to those closest to the problems.

About Kawa Foundation

Kawa Foundation aims to ensure a sustainable future of Zanzibar’s heritage and the tourism and hospitality industry by taking action to protect, enhance and make use of the natural, cultural and historical heritage of Zanzibar by creating sustainable income-generating activities. Additionally, it intends to improve the economic status of and to reduce poverty and unemployment among Zanzibari young people, to empower women and to improve livelihoods in rural communities through capacity building in skills, knowledge and leadership to fill the skills gap in the tourism and hospitality industry. It encourages partnerships and entrepreneurship, and it creates economic links between the communities and the industry to improve economic resilience and to advocate the implementation of sustainable practices concerning fair working conditions.

About Chako

Chako means ‘yours’ in Swahili, and it is the best word to describe its products, mission and vision. Founded in Zanzibar in 2010 as a social, creative enterprise, it trains uneducated and unemployed young men and women to create handcrafted, upcycled items from waste. The aim is to empower, skill, educate, preserve the (marine) environment and contribute to the (circular) economy of this beautiful pearl in the Indian Ocean. Chako is the first guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in Zanzibar and a leader in promoting fair wages, working and living circumstances, next to environmental awareness through re- and upcycling on the island. Focusing on fair wages, fair work, fair treatment, fair chances, no discrimination and a fair environment, social enterprise Chako invests all of its revenue to create more jobs, training, awareness programmes and solutions to re- and upcycle the tourism induced waste on the beautiful island of Zanzibar.

Manuel Ferreira

+44 (0)7471260915 manuel.ferreira@tui.com

September 24, 2025