Nearly 1,000 Ukrainian tourists have been stranded in the Zanzibar archipelago since Ukraine closed its airspace due to the Russian invasion, the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago’s tourism minister Lela Mohammed Mussa said Monday.
“The first thing we did was to make sure they stay where they are, even if it was time for them to leave,” Mussa said.
“We allow them to stay in the hotels and be served as human beings,” she added, assuring that they “will receive all the services, comfort and remain free.”
These hundreds of tourists are unable to return to their country, which closed its airspace to civilian flights on Thursday, citing “a high security risk” after the invasion of its territory by Russian forces.
Plans are under consideration to evacuate the tourists to countries like Poland, added Lela Mohammed Mussa.