Zanzibar tourist arrivals jump 18 per cent

ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR recorded an 18 per cent increase in tourist arrivals in August, welcoming 124,481 visitors as Europe maintained its position as the island’s largest source market.

The figure is up from 105,506 visitors recorded in August last year and 107,801 arrivals registered in July, reflecting continued growth in the tourism sector.

Presenting the August tourism statistics yesterday, Zanzibar Commission for Tourism Statistician, Hassan Ameir Vuai said Europe accounted for 72,304 visitors, or 58.1 per cent of all arrivals.

“Africa ranked second with 30,495 visitors, equivalent to 24.5 per cent, followed by Asia with 14,359 visitors, representing 11.5 per cent,” Hassan said.

America contributed 5,756 visitors, or 4.6 per cent, while Oceania recorded 1,535 visitors, accounting for 1.2 per cent.

Italy remained the leading source market with 17,608 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 9,799, Germany with 8,576, France with 8,482 and Kenya with 7,311.

Most visitors 114,553, or 92 per cent entered through airports, while 9,928 arrived by sea. International flights accounted for 60.4 per cent of arrivals, domestic flights 31.6 per cent and boats eight per cent.

No international cruise ship docked during the month. Men accounted for 57.7 per cent of visitors, while women made up 42.3 per cent.

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Visitors aged between 15 and 64 years represented 85 per cent of arrivals, with children under 15 accounting for 10 per cent.

Holidaymakers continued to dominate, with 99.8 per cent travelling for leisure, while only 0.2 per cent visited for other purposes, including business and meetings.

The average stay remained eight days, with 83.5 per cent of visitors staying between one and nine days.

State University of Zanzibar economist Dr Estella Ngoma linked the strong performance to continued investment in infrastructure.

“Improvements in infrastructure have made Zanzibar more attractive to tourists,” she said, urging continued investment in tourism businesses and attractions to encourage longer stays and increase the sector’s economic returns.

She added that peace and security remained critical in sustaining tourist confidence. Meanwhile, Zanzibar Insurance Corporation Head of Information and Communication Technology, Bakari Mussa Yusuf said the insurer handled seven tourist accident cases during August, involving visitors from Britain, Germany and Russia, while also receiving 20 health-related complaints.

“In August, we received seven accident cases, while 20 complaints involved ordinary health problems,” Bakari said, adding that no visitor required medical evacuation or repatriation during the month.