Tanzania unveils AI tourism chatbot

DODOMA: THE government has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tourism platform capable of serving visitors in more than 56 international languages, in a major digital transformation expected to reshape the country’s tourism industry ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The new system, known as the Tanzania Travel Companion, was announced yesterday by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Ashatu Kijaji while tabling of the ministry’s 2026/2027 budget estimates in the National Assembly.

According to Dr Kijaji, the platform forms part of the government’s broader Digital Destination Marketing and Communication Centre (DDMCC) initiative aimed at modernising tourism services and improving visitors’ experiences before, during and after travelling to Tanzania.

Presenting the budget speech, Dr Kijaji, said the digital system will enable tourists to access information, book services and receive instant assistance through an AI chatbot designed to operate in multiple global languages.

“The system includes a digital map of tourism attractions and essential services for tourists together with an AI chatbot that will provide real-time guidance in more than 56 international languages,” she said.

The move comes as Tanzania intensifies preparations to position itself as one of Africa’s leading tourism destinations, while also preparing to co-host AFCON 2027 alongside Kenya and Uganda.

Under the new platform, tourists will be able to organise trips before arriving in Tanzania by obtaining information on destinations, booking accommodation, restaurants, transport and tourism attractions through a single integrated system.

Dr Kijaji said the platform will also help promote lesser-known tourism destinations, often referred to as hidden gems, across different regions of the country. The system is also expected to simplify payments for various tourism services after being integrated with ministry and institutional systems handling entrance fees, hotel bookings, tourist camps and transport services.

Officials believe the integration will improve efficiency while reducing operational costs in revenue collection. The ministry described the initiative as part of wider digital reforms currently being implemented across the natural resources and tourism sectors. In the budget speech, Dr Kijaji said the government has already upgraded the ministry’s Portal used for tourism licensing, accommodation services, hunting permits and visitor access systems in protected areas.

The ministry has also introduced the Problem Animals Information System (PAIS), a digital platform that manages reports and compensation processes for victims affected by dangerous wild animals.

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According to her, the system has reduced compensation processing periods from between six and 12 months to as little as seven to 14 days. The digital reforms are being rolled out at a time when Tanzania’s tourism sector continues to record strong growth internationally.

According to the Dr Kijaji, the country received 5.9 million tourists in 2025, while tourism earnings increased from 3.9 billion US dollars in 2024 to 4.4 billion US dollars in 2025.

“We expect that the new AI-powered tourism ecosystem will strengthen Tanzania’s global tourism brand, increase visitors’ length of stay and ultimately raise tourism revenues,” Dr Kijaji further said the ministry has also introduced the Problem Animals Information System (PAIS) to improve the management of incidents involving dangerous wild animals and coordinate compensation payments for affected citizens.

She said the digital platform has strengthened transparency, improved reporting accuracy and reduced fraud in handling wildlife conflict cases. Dr Kijaji said the new system has reduced compensation processing time from between six and 12 months to only seven to 14 days.

“The system has simplified compensation procedures and improved accountability by enabling every transaction to be tracked,” she said.