Tanzania Tourism Sees Dramatic Increase in Visitor Numbers and Revenues

Business Wire

2 days ago

DODOMA, Tanzania--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Government of the Republic of Tanzania has announced significant progress in growing its tourism sector with international tourism volumes increasing by 132 per cent from 922,692 tourists in 2021 to 2,141,895 in 2024. This was complemented by even faster growth of 308 per cent in domestic tourism, from 788,933 in 2021 to 3,218,352 in 2024.
The United Nations Tourism body, UN Tourism, has ranked Tanzania the fastest growing Africa destination in 2024, with a 48 per cent increase compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. Ethiopia had the second-fasted growth rate of 40 per cent, Morocco saw 35 per cent, Kenya 11 per cent, and Tunisia saw tourism growth of 9 per cent.
Tanzania's Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Pindi Chana, highlighted that growing tourism volumes and value was a flagship policy of Her Excellency, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and that a goal to grow combined international and domestic tourism volumes to 5 million had already been exceeded.
'These results stem from the vision and commitment of our President, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, who championed promotional campaigns such as The Royal Tour and Amazing Tanzania,' Dr Chana explained. 'This progress has positioned Tanzania 9th globally and 3rd in Africa in tourism revenue growth compared to the pre-COVID-19 era,' she said.
Tourism earnings have also witnessed a major jump, with revenues from international tourists increasing from $1.3 billion in 2021 to $3.9 billion in 2024—a growth rate of 200 percent. Domestic tourism revenues also rose from TZS11 billion in 2021 to TZS209 billion in 2024, reflecting a surge of over 350 per cent.
The President of Tanzania, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, has personally championed tourism growth in Tanzania. From her decision to roll out mass Covid vaccinations in 2021, which reversed the previous government's policies and reopened Tanzania to international travel, to her participation in events like the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit, where she addressed the audience as a keynote speaker, President Samia Suluhu's government has made tourism growth a strategic investment priority.
This investment has begun to generate global recognition for Tanzania as a tourist destination, with the country winning several awards at the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA), including Africa's Leading Destination (2024) and World's Leading Safari Destination (2024).
Serengeti National Park retained its title as the best safari destination globally for the sixth consecutive year since 2019. Mount Kilimanjaro was named Africa's Leading Tourist Attraction in 2024, while Serengeti was ranked the world's second-best safari destination by The Times of India. Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) also received international recognition for service quality from the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), winning the award for the fifth time in a row (2020–2024), while the Tanzania Tourist Board was named Africa's Best Tourism Board. Additionally, Tanzania has been selected to host the African edition of the World Travel Awards in June 2025.
Tanzania has achieved major progress in wildlife protection and management through anti-poaching operations, intensified patrols, and the adoption of modern technology.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Tanzania leads in Africa and globally with around 17,000 lions, 225,000 buffaloes, and 24,000 leopards.
The population of black rhinos rose from 163 in 2021 to 263 in 2025, a 61 per cent increase, while elephant poaching incidents dropped by nearly 90 percent.