Zanzibar Records 4.9% Rise in Tourist Arrivals for February 2026
Zanzibar welcomed 86,839 international tourists in February 2026, a 4.9% increase on the 82,750 arrivals recorded in February 2025, according to statistics released by the Office of the Chief Government Statistician. Europe remained the dominant source market, accounting for 77.4% of all arrivals, followed by Africa at 10% and Asia at 6.2%. The vast majority of visitors - 94.6% - entered through Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, with 99.7% travelling for leisure purposes. The February figure does, however, represent a 13.3% decline on January 2026's 100,216 arrivals.
Tourism stakeholders have welcomed the year-on-year growth but noted that sustained effort is needed for Zanzibar to reach its target of one million annual visitors. The Zanzibar Tourism Commission has indicated ongoing work to expand the destination's reach into additional European markets. Separately, immigration officials have called for closer collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage and the Zanzibar Ports Corporation to improve customer service standards at seaports, where communication skills among port staff have been identified as an area requiring attention. A dedicated tourism unit within the Immigration Department is also being planned to enhance the visitor experience at points of entry.
Source: Daily news Tanzania
