Tourism earnings up to 4.6tri/-

According to Tanzania Tourism Sector Survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) the number of tourist arrivals increased by 12.9 per cent to 1,284,279 from 1,137,182 in 2015. Of the total revenue earned during the year under review, 3.93tri/- was earned from tourists who came for leisure and holidays.

Similarly, Zanzibar earnings increased by 30.4 per cent to 842.6bn/- in 2016 compared with 645.7bn/- earned in 2015 owing to increase in the number of arrivals by 40.7 per cent to 284,519. Most of the Zanzibar earnings 832bn/- were received from visitors who came for leisure and holidays.

The 2016 data from Immigration Services Department shows that Kenya continued to be main source market for tourists arriving in Tanzania as it accounted for 18.2 per cent of all international tourist arrivals. This is an increase of 18.3 per cent to 233,730 compared w i t h 197,562 visitors recorded in 2015, largely on account of increasing socioeconomic interactions.

The US was the second largest source market with 6.8 per cent followed by India, which replaced the position of the United Kingdom. The shift in the position of India is largely contributed by Dawoodi Bohra’s Milad-un-Nabi celebrations that took place in Dar es Salaam in October 2016.

The overall average expenditure per person per night in the year under review 178 US dollars compared to 199 US dollars recorded in 2015. The decrease in the average expenditure per person per night is partly explained by the increase in the number of arrivals from neighbouring countries whose expenditures are lower.

The average expenditure per person per night under package tour arrangement was 290 US dollars per person per night, while under the nonpackage tour it was 131 US dollars. Business visitors under the package tour arrangement spent the most with an average of 386 US dollars.

Visitors who came to visit friends and relatives spent the least 199 US dollars with visitors from China having the highest average expenditure of 541 US dollars per person per night. Visitors from Burundi and Zambia had minimal average expenditures of less than 100 US dollars per person per night.

SOURCE: DAILY NEWS

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