Tanzania’s tourism soars post-COVID, earning $3.5 billion by July 2024

Data from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) indicates that the increase was driven by a 22% rise in tourist arrivals, with 2,026,378 visitors recorded during the period, The East African reports.

“The rise in travel receipts arises from the recovery observed in the tourism industry, reflected by the increase of tourist arrivals by 22 percent to 2,026,378,” the BoT report read.

The BoT’s Monthly Economic Review (MER) for August 2024 revealed that this marked a $531.8 million jump from the previous year, which is the sector's recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic, which had severely affected travel.

Executive Director of the Hotel Association of Tanzania, Kennedy Edward credited the increase to long-term initiatives between 2021 and 2023, including the adoption of digital visa processing and improved service quality in both public and private sectors. 

“Service quality has improved across both public and private sectors, enhancing the overall tourist experience,” Edward said.

Before the pandemic, Tanzania aimed to attract 2 million tourists in 2020, but numbers dropped from 1.3 million in 2019 to just 600,000 in 2020.