Tourism revenues soar
DODOMA: TANZANIA earned 4.4 billion US dollars (about 11.88tri/-) from tourism in 2025 as visitor numbers surged to nearly six million, reinforcing the sector’s position as the country’s second-largest foreign exchange earner after mining.
The growth was announced yesterday by Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Ashatu Kijaji while tabling the ministry’s 334.35bn/- budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year in the National Assembly in Dodoma.
Dr Kijaji said tourism earnings increased by 12.82 per cent from 3.9 billion US dollars (about 10.5tri/-) recorded during the corresponding period in 2024, reflecting continued expansion of the sector driven by aggressive tourism promotion, infrastructure development and digital reforms.
She said Tanzania received 5,935,561 tourists in 2025, compared to 5,360,247 visitors recorded in 2024, representing a 10.7 per cent increase.
According to the minister, international tourist arrivals rose from 2,141,895 in 2024 to 2,294,495 in 2025, while domestic tourists increased from 3,218,352 to 3,641,066 during the same period.
“The success has been attributed to various efforts, including increased tourism promotion, improvement of tourism infrastructure and services and the use of electronic systems in revenue collection,” Dr Kijaji told the House.
She said Tanzania’s growth had also been recognised globally, citing a report by the United Nations Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism), which ranked Tanzania 11th worldwide in 2025 for growth in international tourist arrivals compared to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019.
The minister further said that Tanzania ranked sixth in Africa and the Middle East region in terms of growth in international tourist arrivals.
Dr Kijaji said the country had also continued to win major international tourism awards, including recognition at the World Travel Awards held in Manama, Bahrain, strengthening Tanzania’s profile as one of Africa’s leading tourism destinations.
She told the august House that the government would continue investing heavily in strategic tourism infrastructure, including roads, airports, communication systems and visitor facilities in protected areas to sustain the sector’s growth momentum.
“The government is also targeting expansion into Far East and Middle East tourism markets as part of wider efforts to diversify visitor sources and increase tourism earnings,” she said In the coming financial year, she said the ministry will prioritise conservation of wildlife, forestry, beekeeping and antiquities resources while strengthening community participation, reducing human-wildlife conflicts and intensifying anti-poaching efforts.
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“We will also enhance production, value addition and marketing of forestry and beekeeping products through sustainable resource management in order to increase the sector’s contribution to the national economy,” Dr Kijaji said.
She added that the government would strengthen the use of modern technology in tourism promotion, monitoring, revenue collection and resource management while continuing policy and legal reforms aimed at improving the investment environment.
Presenting the views of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism, the committee’s chairperson, Timotheo Mnzava urged the government to review the management and allocation of the Tourism Development Levy (TDL) to improve efficiency and maximise impact in promoting the tourism sector.
The committee also called on the government to resolve border disputes involving conservation areas and ensure timely and fair compensation whenever citizens are displaced for conservation or development projects.
