Dodoma — Tanzania recorded a 48.8 percent increase in tourist arrivals between January and February of this year compared with the same period in 2022. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) acting Director of Economic Statistics, Daniel Msolwa, said that 290,896 visitors entered the country during those two months, up from 195,483 the previous year. Of the total, 114,169 tourists (32 percent) arrived via Zanzibar.
Msolwa attributed the rise in international visitors to several factors, including the lifting of Covid‑19 lockdowns in most countries and the government’s ongoing efforts to promote Tanzania’s attractions, such as the Royal Tour documentary. He noted that 263,934 visitors (90.7 percent) came for leisure and holidays, 16,307 (5.6 percent) visited friends and relatives, 6,035 (2.1 percent) were in transit to other destinations, and 3,418 (1.2 percent) were business travelers.
The top six source markets from outside Africa were France (25,837 visitors), Italy (18,556), the United States (16,567), Germany (15,705), Poland (12,369) and the United Kingdom (10,657). Within Africa, the leading markets were Kenya (29,615), Burundi (16,832), Rwanda (7,627), Malawi (6,563), Uganda (6,511) and South Africa (5,196).
Msolwa also recalled that Tanzania welcomed 922,692 tourists in 2021, generating US$3,177.7 million in revenue, while 2022 saw 1,454,920 visitors and US$4,776.5 million in earnings. The government aims to boost tourist numbers to five million by 2025 by continuing to market attractions and improve infrastructure, including roads and digital financial services at tourist sites.
Last year, the tourism sector received a significant boost from President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s participation in the Tanzania Royal Tour documentary—the first time a head of state has featured in such a film in Tanzania. The documentary premiered in New York on 18 April 2022, followed by Los Angeles on 21 April, with additional filming in Dar es Salaam on 28 April and later in Zanzibar. The film has helped revive the industry, which contributes roughly US$2 billion (about TZS 4.6 trillion) annually, attracting visitors from around the world to Tanzania’s renowned attractions.
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