UN Tourism ranks high Tanzania after recording a 51 percent increase in tourist arrivals
DODOMA: THE United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) has ranked Tanzania among the world’s top-performing countries in the tourism sector after the country recorded a 51 percent increase in international tourist arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made on May 15, 2026 by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, while presenting the ministry’s revenue and expenditure estimates for the 2026/27 financial year in Parliament.
Dr Kijaji said Tanzania ranked 11th globally and sixth in Africa and the Middle East in terms of growth in international tourist arrivals compared to 2019 levels.
She noted that the number of tourists in Tanzania increased to 5,935,561 in 2025 from 5,360,247 in 2024, representing a growth of 10.7 percent.
According to the minister, international tourist arrivals rose by 7.1 percent from 2,141,895 visitors in 2024 to 2,294,495 in 2025, while domestic tourists increased by 13.1 percent from 3,218,352 in 2024 to 3,641,066 in 2025.
She further stated that tourism revenue increased from 3.9bn US dollars in 2024 to 4.4bn US dollars in 2025, marking a 12.82 percent increase.
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Dr Kijaji said the achievements reflect the impact of investments made by the Sixth Phase Government in strengthening Tanzania’s tourism sector.
She added that, apart from the increase in international visitors, Tanzania ranked third globally in 2025 among the best-performing tourism markets in terms of tourist spending compared to 2024.
According to the minister, the tourism sector has now become the country’s second-largest foreign exchange earner after the mining sector.
She attributed the sector’s performance to various government initiatives, including expanded tourism promotion campaigns, improvements in tourism infrastructure and services, as well as the adoption of digital systems in revenue collection.
