THE Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) has collected 442bn/- in revenue from June 2024 to this month, within sight of its 500bn/- revenue goal for fiscal 2024/2025.

Musa Kuji, the TANAPA CEO said here yesterday that this achievement is due to the surge in tourist arrivals from domestic and foreign sources, fueled by proactive efforts to promote the tourism sector by the country’s top leadership.

Citing the landmark tourism documentaries, ‘The Royal Tour’ and ‘Amazing Tanzania,’ he said the films have attracted visitors from across the globe and encouraged more Tanzanians to explore their national heritage.

He reiterated the view that the increase in tourism traffic has brought the total number of visitors to 5.3 million, surpassing the set target of five million, with tourism earnings reaching $3.9 billion out of a projected $6 billion

Analysts note that the earnings and visitations discrepancy arises from the earlier impression that the 5m total visitors projection was tied to foreign visitors, whose earnings are distinctly at a higher level compared with local visitations.

Plans have been drawn up to launch a massive infrastructure facelift across national parks in the next financial year, including the renovation of visitor facilities such as hostels, camps, water systems, modern sanitation and power supply, he said.

Recent torrential rains have severely damaged road networks in several national parks, with funds already lined up for rehabilitation especially in the Serengeti National Park.

A formal request has been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for approval to upgrade roads to hard-surface standards, he stated.

“UNESCO has already approved similar road upgrades for Ngorongoro,’ he said, affirming that the success of that project will help justify the latest request.

 “Tanzania’s tourism sector is thriving thanks to the government’s consistent efforts to preserve peace and security, making the country a safe and attractive destination for global travelers,” he asserted.

Dr Pindi Chana, the Natural Resources and Tourism minister said in presenting budget estimates recently international tourist arrivals rose by 132.1 percent, from 922,692 in 2021 to 2,141,895 last year, while domestic tourism grew by 307.9 percent, reaching 3,218,352 visitors last year.

Data sourced at the United Nations Tourism indicates that Tanzania topped Africa in tourist growth in 2024 with a 48 percent increase compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. Ethiopia came next at 40 percent increase, Morocco posting a 35 percent surge, Kenya 11 percent and Tunisia nine percent.

Tanzania earned $1.3bn from international visitors in 2021, which rose to $3.9bn last year, a 200 percent increase, while domestic tourism revenue grew from 11bn/- in 2021 to 209bn/- last year, a 353.1 percent increase, she added.