TANZANIA’S conservation and tourism efforts have resulted in rapid growth with 10 of the country’s national parks nominated for prestigious World Travel Awards 2025.

This marks the first time such a record number of parks has made it to the competition, a significant achievement for the country's tourism industry.

Jully Lyimo, Business Development Officer at the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), made the announcement at the weekend during the launch of a campaign aimed at encouraging Tanzanians to vote for the parks. The campaign was launched at Kitulo National Park, one of the parks vying for the ‘Best Honeymoon Destination’ award.

 Lyimo attributed the success to the government’s ongoing efforts to protect and promote the parks. 

Other parks nominated are Serengeti National Park, which competes for the ‘Best National Park in Africa’ award, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park for ‘Best Attraction in Africa and Nyerere National Park nominated for the ‘Best Park with Scenic Views in Africa’.

 Serengeti and Nyerere National parks have also been nominated in the category for parks with Africa’s ‘Big Five’ animals: elephants, lions, buffalo, leopards and rhinos.

 Tarangire National Park is nominated for ‘Best National Park in Africa’ for its elephant paradise status and Ruaha and Katavi National parks compete for ‘Best National Park for Cultural Tourism’.

 Other parks nominated are Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, Udzungwa Mountains and Mihare Mountains National Park which compete for the ‘Best Mountain National Park in Africa’ award.

 Lyimo noted that for over 15 years, Tanzania typically entered only two parks in the competition: Serengeti National Park which has won ‘Best National Park in Africa’ six times in a row and Mount Kilimanjaro National Park which has also won the ‘Best Attraction in Africa’ award six times consecutively.

 He called on Tanzanians to vote for the parks to increase their global visibility, attract more tourists and boost national revenue.

 Harry Gazi, Assistant Conservation Commissioner at Kitulo National Park’s, highlighted the park’s unique appeal, known for its stunning indigenous flowers which have earned it the title ‘God’s Garden’. The park also features a cool climate, migratory birds from Europe and Australia and unique wildlife such as the Kipunji monkeys found only in the area.

“The park is also home to spectacular waterfalls that attract many tourists. The colorful indigenous flowers make Kitulo the only park in Tanzania with this type of flora,” Gazi said.