Tourists spend more as Tanzania’s premium travel market expands
Tanzania's tourism sector is experiencing a shift toward high-value travel, with average visitor spending increasing significantly in 2025. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that growth is driven by demand for premium safari packages and luxury accommodations rather than just an increase in visitor volume.
Why it matters
The trend reflects a broader economic shift in emerging markets toward prioritizing high-yield tourism to maximize revenue and support sustainable economic development.
Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is attracting tourists who are spending more during their stay, with new data showing a significant rise in average visitor expenditure driven by leisure travel, high-value tourism activities and stronger demand from premium markets.
According to the 2025 International Visitors’ Exit Survey Report jointly published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), the overall average expenditure per tourist per night increased by 19.1 percent to $289 in 2025, compared with $243 in 2024.
The survey, which analyses visitor spending patterns, travel behaviour and characteristics of international tourists, shows that holidaymakers recorded the highest average expenditure by purpose of travel, spending $358 per person per night in 2025 compared with $291 in 2024.
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