Idris
This monumental undertaking includes the construction of a racetrack, which alone is projected to take between four and six years to complete.
For Zanzibar, however, the visionary blueprint also encompasses additional worldclass facilities including, luxurious hotels, a water park and natural parks with the costs of the track offset by ensuring the facility offers adjacent worldclass tourist attractions and services to pull in a loyal F1 fan base.
Beyond the sheer audacity of the initiative, Salim Turky, a Tanzanian parliamentarian who is also the deputy spokesperson for the project, emphasises that it will be a game changer, not for the race itself, but because it will bring Africa and Zanzibar onto the world stage of tourism and services.
Gaining support from esteemed figures within the racing community has bolstered the case for rekindling motorsports flame in Africa.
Undeterred by the substantial financial commitments required, the authority has persisted in its quest to bring this global sporting extravaganza to Zanzibari shores.
Zanzibar is undergoing an infrastructure overhaul on a scale not witnessed since independence, with plans to turn the archipelago famed for its pristine beaches and narrowalleyed old towns into a modern metropolis.
In September last year, Tanzanias AICL Group and Edinburghbased investment company Crowland Management unveiled designs for a US1.3 billion glitzy skyscraper, while the worlds tallest timber tower, the Burj Zanzibar, is planned for the islands Fumba town, near Zanzibar city.
The journey to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix will demand a significant investment of over 500 million.
According to Sportface.it, an Italian sports platform, the semiautonomous island province has been diligently pursuing admission as one of the Formula 1 calendars venues, for the past five years and is now being taken seriously.
Leading the charge is the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority, which has tenaciously championed the cause.
Keypoints
- Related articles