DODOMA, Jan 19 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA’S tourism industry has shattered all previous records, generating a historic 4.2 billion US dollars (10.46tri/-) in the year ending October 2025 .
This peak performance, confirmed by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), represents the highest revenue ever recorded in the nation’s history. The sector’s growth is driven by a massive influx of international visitors.
National statistics indicate that Tanzania received approximately 173,000 more international tourists between January and November 2025 than during the same period last year.
This surge pushed total arrivals to a milestone of 2,097,823 tourists, representing a 9 per cent increase in volume. The sector’s rapid acceleration is evidenced by a 7.1 per cent revenue increase in just five months, up from the 3.92 billion US dollars (9.76tril/) reported in May 2025.
Opening a wildlife stakeholders’ meeting in Dodoma, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Ashatu Kijaji declared the industry solid and vibrant.
She credited the recordbreaking figures to strategic global rebranding efforts, specifically the Royal Tour and Amazing Tanzania film campaigns, which have successfully repositioned the country as Africa’s premier destination.
As a result, Tanzania earned two prestigious international awards: Africa’s Leading Destination and the World’s Leading Safari Destination, with the minister hailing the honours as a source of national pride and a testament to Tanzania’s prominent position on the global stage.
The success also secured Tanzania the rights to host the World Tourism Awards, scheduled for December 2026.
To further expand the sector’s contribution to the national economy, the government is aggressively developing new strategic tourism products including Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, marine and beach tourism, historical and heritage tourism, sports tourism, cultural experiences and ecotourism.
“These achievements are a result of strengthened government–private sector cooperation, improved strategic marketing and massive investments in roads, airports, railways and ports, alongside an enhanced investment climate,” Dr Kijaji said.
On wildlife conservation, she praised development partners for supporting anti-poaching, staff capacity building and conservation projects, saying their contributions have been crucial in safeguarding wildlife habitats.
Through the National Anti-Poaching Strategy (2023–2033), she said, Tanzania has strengthened institutional capacity and deepened community involvement in conservation.
The results are evident: the elephant population has grown from 43,000 in 2014 to over 60,000 in 2023, an increase of 29.3 per cent, positioning Tanzania third in Africa.
The country also maintains the world’s largest populations of 17,000 lions and an estimated 24,000 leopards.
On tourist and resident hunting, the minister said the government will continue strict oversight to ensure the activities comply with conservation laws and contribute to revenue and community development.
She noted that the sixthphase government is enacting comprehensive reforms aimed at reducing costs for investors, streamlining procedures and enhancing Tanzania’s global competitiveness.
These reforms include revisions to fees and charges, as well as upgrades to operational systems. — NNN-DAILYNEWS