Unguja. Zanzibar recorded a significant boost in its tourism sector in 2024, welcoming 736,755 international visitors, a 15.4 percent increase from the 638,498 arrivals in 2023, a new tourism statistics report shows.
The report was jointly prepared by the Office of the Chief Government Statistician and the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.
Although the growth is slightly under the 800,000 target set, it underscores Zanzibar’s rising appeal as a leading destination in Africa, driven by increased global connectivity and sustained interest from European markets.
European tourists continued to dominate Zanzibar’s tourism landscape, accounting for 71.6 percent of total arrivals—that’s 527,845 visitors in 2024.
Among them, Italy emerged as the top source market, contributing 87,202 tourists (11.8 percent), followed closely by Germany (9.7 percent), France (9.4 percent), and Poland (7 percent). The UK also maintained a strong presence with over 42,000 British travellers.
Notably, Poland and other emerging markets like India, China and Ukraine showed marked improvement, with these regions collectively registering a 12.8 percent rise in visitor numbers compared to the previous year.
While European tourists continued to dominate total arrivals, African nations showed robust growth, underscoring the importance of intra-African travel to Zanzibar’s tourism economy.
African countries contributed 98,402 visitors in 2024, representing 13.4 percent of total international arrivals. This marks a 16.9 percent increase from the 84,158 African visitors recorded in 2023, signaling a positive trend in regional travel and a growing interest among African travellers in Zanzibar as a preferred destination.
South Africa and Kenya led the continent in tourist numbers. South Africa was the top African source market, bringing in 31,254 tourists, a 28.6 percent increase compared to the previous year. Kenya followed with 23,530 visitors, reflecting a 26.2 percent growth.
Other African nations contributed 40,475 visitors, including travellers from countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, and Mozambique. Egypt saw a slight decline, with 3,143 tourists—a drop of 0.8 percent from 2023.
Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport remained the primary gateway, receiving 646,830 visitors, or 87.8 percent of the total, with 592,613 arriving on international flights. Sea arrivals accounted for 89,925 visitors, including 5,869 cruise ship passengers and 84,056 arriving via ferry from mainland Tanzania.
The statistics indicate that Zanzibar remains a leisure-first destination. An overwhelming 98.3 percent of tourists in 2024 came for holidays, while a mere 0.6 percent visited friends and relatives and 1.1 percent cited other purposes. Gender distribution leaned slightly towards females, with 51.9 percent of visitors being women and 48.1 percent men. The number of male and female visitors rose by 10.7 percent and 20.1 percent, respectively.
In terms of age demographics, 86 percent of visitors were between 15 and 64 years old—the working-age population—while both children and retirees each made up seven percent of the total arrivals.
On average, tourists stayed in Zanzibar for eight nights in 2024, with about 19.5 percent of all visitors staying for exactly seven days. The island had 9.2 million bed spaces available throughout the year, of which 5.9 million were sold in July, translating to a 64.3 percent occupancy rate during that peak month.
Among the fast-growing source countries, Ukraine posted a 62.3 percent increase, China grew by 78.7 percent, and Japan saw a remarkable 92.7 percent increase in visitors. These numbers reflect Zanzibar’s expanding global reach and the success of marketing efforts in non-traditional tourism markets.
Commentators say that Zanzibar’s stellar tourism performance in 2024 is a testament to its global allure, infrastructural investments, and sustained efforts to diversify its visitor base.
With steady growth across traditional and emerging markets alike, the archipelago is poised for an even more vibrant 2025.
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Unguja. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo today officially bids farewell to its former Chairman, Juma Duni Haji, also known as Babu Duni, as part of a new policy designed to honor retired senior leaders at a ceremony held at Kiembesamaki, Zanzibar.
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Babu Duni, who stepped down earlier this year, was succeeded by Othman Masoud, now the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
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“Recognizing their significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the party, this policy ensures that retired leaders continue to be acknowledged and respected by both the party and the community,” the policy states.
To benefit from this policy, leaders must not have left or been expelled from the party. They must have served the party with honor and dedication. The national leadership committee will determine whether a leader has fulfilled these criteria.
The policy seeks to honor retired leaders, protect their dignity, acknowledge their contributions, leverage their ideas for the party’s growth, and support them to the best of the party’s ability.
In honoring these leaders, the party will provide a vehicle, the type of which will be determined by the national leadership committee. Additionally, they will receive a monthly allowance, with the amount also set by this committee.
Other benefits include health insurance. If a leader does not own a home, the party will cover their rent at a rate decided by the committee.
The leadership committee may also grant special recognition based on the leader’s contributions. Retired leaders will participate in decision-making meetings according to procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
Depending on the party’s resources at the time, the policy may also apply to retired deputy chairpersons for both the mainland and Zanzibar, the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General for both mainland and Zanzibar, and the party’s Attorney General.
Additionally, leaders, executives, or members with exceptional contributions to the party’s protection, advocacy, and defense may also benefit, as determined by the leadership committee.
Currently, those who are eligible for benefits under this policy include Juma Duni Haji (retired party Chairman) and Zitto Kabwe (retired party leader).Continue Reading
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Addis Ababa, January 20, 2025</Strong> — Tanzania has declared a Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak after confirming one case and identifying 25 suspected cases in the Kagera Region of Northwestern Tanzania. The Marburg virus, a highly infectious and often fatal disease, is similar to Ebola and is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and monkeys. This outbreak marks the nation’s second encounter with the deadly virus, following the outbreak in Bukoba District of Kagera Region in March 2023, which resulted in nine cases and six deaths.
In response to this urgent threat, the Africa CDC is mobilizing strong support to help Tanzania contain the outbreak. A team of twelve public health experts will be deployed as part of an advance mission in the next 24 hours. The multidisciplinary team includes epidemiologists, risk communication, infection prevention and control (IPC), and laboratory experts to provide on-ground support for surveillance, IPC, diagnostics, and community engagement.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, has engaged with Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the Minister of Health to ensure coordinated efforts and secure political commitment for the response.
“Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. To support the government’s efforts, we are committing US$ 2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management. Building on Tanzania’s commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and those of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control,” Dr. Kaseya stated.
Africa CDC has recently supported efforts to enhance the diagnostic and sequencing capacity of public health laboratories in Tanzania. PCR Test kits and genomic sequencing reagents have been dispatched, with additional supplies in the pipeline. To ensure rapid identification and confirmation of cases, the institution will also provide technical assistance to strengthen detection and genome sequencing for better characterization of the pathogen. Additionally, support will be provided to improve case management protocols and enhance the capacity to deliver safe and effective treatment.
Africa CDC is committed to working closely with the Government of Tanzania, regional partners, international organizations, and global stakeholders, including the World Health Organization, to stop the spread of the Marburg virus.
Source: allafrica.com
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