Tanzania is eyeing Asia-Pacific visitors as it seeks to diversify its source markets and maximise consumer travel demand in the region.
The east African nation welcomed a record 2.14 million inbound tourists in 2024, up from 1.81 million in 2023, according to its National Bureau of Statistics. Visitor spending in 2024 generated US$3.9 billion, up 15.7 per cent year on year, making tourism one of the country’s most important industries.
Arrivals have long been dominated by European and North American markets, but Tanzanian tourism stakeholders are eager to welcome more travellers from Asia-Pacific by building on recent efforts. For example, last year’s promotional activities in Australia and the 2024 China-Tanzania Culture and Tourism Year contributed to Australia and China being listed in Tanzania’s top 15 source markets for the first time.
Some of the most popular activities for visitors are related to natural wonders, observed Greyson Mchau, director of Savannah Explorers, an Arusha-based tour operator specialising in safaris to see the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros), trekking to Mount Kilimanjaro, and beach holidays.
“We’re seeing a lot of visitors from China, but we’d love more,” he told TTG Asia.
“We want to invest in the Asia-Pacific market, where we see great potential due to the large and growing number of outbound travellers,” added Mchau.
“Asia-Pacific is a relatively new market for us, but we are keen to engage, particularly with the strong outbound travel markets of Singapore and Malaysia,” added Zephania Abduel, sales and operations manager at Tanzania Roadside Expeditions, which offers similar tours, also out of Arusha.
