Dar es Salaam. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Kenya and Burundi appeared as the largest source of international arrivals to Tanzania between January and May 2025.
For five months, Tanzania attracted 794,102 international tourists, while Kenya led the pack with 93,112 visitors, accounting for nearly 12% of total arrivals. Burundi continued to have 65,874 tourists, accounting for 8.3% of the total.
These figures outperform those in traditional long-distance markets such as the US (42,478), France (38,255), and Italy (37,238). All of these are related to safari expeditions and Zanzibar Beach holidays.
However, tourism experts point out that local arrivals are often different in nature. “Many of the people registered by local neighbours are not leisure tourists. Many are business and trade purposes,” said Willie Changbro, chairman of the Tanzania Association's Tour Operators Association (TATO).
This distinction raises important considerations for the sector. Local travelers contribute to the overall visitor tally, but the per capita economic impact may differ from the impact of leisure tourists. Thus, Tao seeks individual accounting to establish who is coming and what purpose.
Such disassembled data allows policymakers to create target strategies, such as marketing, infrastructure investment, or service delivery, based on the specific needs of business travelers, leisure tourists, or visitors or relatives.
Germany ranks sixth with 35,626 visitors, reflecting Tanzania's consistent interest in wildlife and nature tourism. Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo attracted 32,801 and 32,246 visitors, following in 7th and 8th place. The numbers are supported by strong cross-border ties and local migration.
China ranked ninth with 29,268 visitors, while the UK concluded the top 10 with 24,968 tourists. With 24,463 visitors, India has just missed the top 10, but remains a major source market, especially for diaspora trips, weddings and business tourism.
Beyond arrivals, the economic impact of tourism continues to grow. The Bank of Tanzania (BOT) reported that travel receipts reached $3.91 billion in the year ending in May 2025, up from $3.62 billion in its 2024 response period.
With this growth, tourism has surpassed $3.83 billion in gold exports towards the pinnacle of Tanzania's foreign exchange earners.
The bots attributed the increase to 2,170,360 in the year ending in May 2025, resulting in a surge in international arrivals, rising from 1,961,870 the previous year.
As global travel stabilizes after the pandemic, it is regional and international with a clearer understanding of Tanzania's visitors' mix and motives.
