Tanzania has seen a surge in the number of tourists visiting the country in the first two months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported an increase of 48.8% in the number of visitors, with 290,896 tourists entering the country between January and February this year.
Rising Tourism in Tanzania
The Acting Director of Economic Statistics at NBS, Daniel Msolwa, attributed the rise in tourism to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the government’s efforts to promote Tanzania’s attractions. He also credited the Royal Tour documentary, featuring President Samia Suluhu Hassan, for boosting tourism in the country. The documentary was launched in New York and Los Angeles in April 2022 and has had a significant effect on the tourism sector, which brings in around 2 billion US dollars per year.
Tanzania Welcomes International Visitors
Of the visitors recorded by NBS, 90.7% came to Tanzania for leisure and holidays, while 5.6% visited friends and relatives. The top six source markets from outside Africa were France, Italy, the United States of America, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The top six sources of African tourism were Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, and South Africa. A total of 32% of all visitors entered the country through Zanzibar. Msolwa also noted that the government is working to improve infrastructure such as roads and digital financial services to attract more tourists and meet its target of welcoming five million tourists by 2025.
In 2021, Tanzania welcomed 922,692 tourists, bringing in 3,177.7 million US dollars. In 2022, the number of visitors increased to 1,454,920, bringing in 4,776.5 million US dollars. The government’s continued efforts to promote Tanzania’s tourist attractions, coupled with infrastructure improvements, are expected to boost the number of visitors to the country in the coming years.
Overall, Tanzania’s tourism industry is experiencing a boost. With ongoing improvements to infrastructure, Tanzania is well positioned to capitalize on its growing appeal to international visitors.
