Sympathy Tourism

This is something that has been on my mind for while then today I read David Whiteleys piece on his blog GrumpyTraveller.com this last paragraph really says what i think "Tourism as an industry is about service, not charity. People are not giving their money to destinations, they are spending it there. There is an enormous difference. If people are genuinely moved by plight, they’ll make a charity donation, not book a flight and hotel. Tourism is a business, not a welfare scheme – and anyone tempted to overplay the sympathy card would do well to remember that." Most Lodges and Hotels in Tanzania (and elsewhere in the developing world) have involvement in their local community, and there is no reason to hide it, BUT, as a primary marketing tool? Really? How many people actually choose their annual break to help others? As a bonus, great, but most people want to have a great holiday, and to be honest promoting the fact that people nearby are in desparate need of your financial help probably just makes people feel guilty.

Ras Mbisi is about good food, relaxing and being looked after, by people who really want you to have an amazing holiday, if we choose to donate or set up projects with monies earned then great, but we will never force guests to contribute, in fact we are unlikely to mention it to you at all. Occasionally we will refer to it in a blog, but it is not the reason we exist, we exist to give our guests the best we can on this beautiful remote and deserted beach paradise.

Honeymoons (& Weddings)

Leave the world behind....
If your fiancé is welded to his laptop and his mobile, Ras Mbisi is your ideal honeymoon retreat.

It simply doesn’t get more romantic than this. Your own desert island paradise. Just you, him and eight kilometres of pure white sand. No rowdy night life, no glitzy shops, no crowded beaches or frenetic bar-hopping. Better still, there’s no TV, no phone signal, no Internet. In other words, nothing to distract you from each other.
If your fiancé is the kind of man who is welded to his mobile or laptop, this truly is your honeymoon heaven.
Ras Mbisi is a small remote ‘beach meets bush’ lodge on the ‘secret’ island of Mafia, just off the southern coast of Tanzania. Ras Mbisi offers simple, elegant, barefoot luxury. With white sandy beaches, dazzling aquamarine waters and refreshingly few tourists, Mafia is the way Zanzibar was 30 years ago, the cool laid-back eco-alternative.
Imagine your own simple yet sophisticated open-tented thatched banda sitting a few metres from the beach, looking out over the white sand and pristine water. Your four poster bed is swathed in white gauze and you can sit on your veranda watching the sun come up or, more likely, the sun set (and enjoy bickering over which is the more beautiful).
The restaurant and sundowner bar also overlook both the beach and swimming pool: sit sipping a cocktail while a gentle sea breeze dances on your sunkissed skin.
The food is all local and strictly seasonal – fresh locally sourced fish & seafood, vegetables & fruit, cooked simply but with flair, using a combination of traditional Swahili recipes with Middle Eastern and Asian flavours. We could say it’s the food of love but that would be corny...
You can swim with the whale sharks or watch the Humpbacks make their way past during their biannual migration. You can scuba or snorkel, sail or kayak. If that sounds far too energetic bliss out on a sunset cruise or combine a whale shark trip with a fish bbq for two on deserted Shungu Mbili island.

You can get married at Ras Mbisi, we will need the following original documentation:
An application letter in English (signed by both partners) indicating that they want to marry in Tanzania with the intended date of marriage
A signed written statement from each partner, stating that they are single (if you have been married before, a copy of the divorce papers)
A 21-day notice before the actual date of the service will have to be put up at the notice board of the municipality in town. If you already have this from your own country and town, please send it as it will help enormously.
If you send all the above papers to us at least two months before the marriage date we will be able to carry out the whole bureaucratic process for you. We will also make sure that the Priest or responsible Government official who conducts civil weddings in Tanzania will be at Ras Mbisi in order to conduct the official ceremony

Seriously, leave your shoes behind, you don’t need them.


(with thanks to Jane Alexander for her expert help)