Tanzania records 48pc tourists increase in just two months
Between January and February this year, Tanzania experienced a significant increase in tourist arrivals, with a growth rate of 48.8% compared to the same period in 2022. According to Daniel Msolwa, the acting Director of Economic Statistics at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 290,896 tourists entered the country, with 32% of them arriving through Zanzibar. The growth in international visitors is attributed to the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns by most countries and the government's continued efforts to promote Tanzania's tourism attractions, including through the Royal Tour documentary.
Of the total number of visitors, 263,934, equivalent to 90.7%, visited Tanzania for leisure and holidays, while 16,307, equivalent to 5.6%, came to visit their friends and relatives. The remaining 6,035 visitors, equivalent to 2.1%, were in transit to other countries, and 3,418 business visitors, equivalent to 1.2%, came to the country for work purposes.
The top six sources of Tanzania's tourism market from outside Africa were France, Italy, the United States of America, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, while the top six source markets from Africa were Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, and South Africa. In 2021, Tanzania received 922,692 tourists, earning the country 3,177.7 million US dollars, while in 2022, a total of 1,454,920 tourists entered the country, bringing in a total of 4,776.5 million US dollars.
The Tanzanian government has continued to promote the country's tourist attractions and improve infrastructure to ensure that the number of tourists reaches 5 million by 2025. The tourism sector received a significant boost from President Samia Suluhu Hassan's participation in the Tanzania Royal Tour documentary, which premiered in New York and Los Angeles in April 2022. The documentary has had a ripple effect in the tourism sector, which earns the country about 2 billion US dollars per year.
