Zanzibar tourist arrivals surge 55pc

ZANZIBAR: AS the peak season gets underway, Zanzibar recorded a sharp acceleration in international tourist arrivals in July, fuelled by a surge in European holidaymakers and strong air traffic connections.

International arrivals to the semi-autonomous archipelago jumped 54.9 per cent from June to 107,801 visitors, according to data released Thursday by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.

On an annual basis, arrivals rose 9.6 per cent from 98,370 in July 2025. Research and Statistics Officer at the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, Hassan Ameir Vuai said the latest data showed a continued upward trend in tourism.

The monthly figures reflect a strong start to the primary European summer travel window, with Europe accounting for 56.4 per cent of total arrivals (60,754 visitors).

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Italy led all individual feeder markets with 8,892 travellers, followed by the U.K. (5,618), Germany (5,423), and France (3,236). Regional traffic from Africa represented 24.6 per cent of the total, anchored by Kenya with 5,540 arrivals.

Holidaymakers accounted for 99.4 per cent of overall arrivals, with business travel and family visits comprising less than 1 per cent combined.

The average duration of stay held steady at eight days, with nearly a fifth of all visitors remaining for 10 days or longer.

Zanzibar’s long-term growth trajectory shows arrivals rising from 260,644 in 2020 to 917,167 in 2025, with tourism authorities continuing joint marketing efforts alongside private operators to defend market share through the second half of the year