Is Tanzania Africa’s new Safari capital and what can other countries learn from it?

• Tanzania, which is set to host World Travel Awards 2026, just hit $4.2 billion in tourism receipts and visitor numbers are up 7% months before the season peaks.
• The big five, affordable flights, and 17,000 lions. Is this why Safari planners are flocking into Tanzania in 2026?

Tanzania is evolving into Africa’s safari capital with official data showing high tourist numbers even as the 2026 tourism season peaks. According to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), the country  reported record 4.2 billion US dollars in the year ending October 2025.

It is worth pointing out that the figure represents a 7.1% increase in just five months, having shot up from $3.92 billion that was reported in May 2025. The revenue is collections from some 2.1 million international visitors that entered the country in 2025, a 9% increase year-over-year.

With said growth, the tourism sector is now Tanzania’s largest foreign exchange earner having surpassed gold revenues, the BoT reports. This is the highest recorded revenue that the country has ever earned from tourism in a single year and positions Tanzania as Africa’s undisputed safari leader.

Notably, the country was recently featured on CNN’s list of ‘Top 20 Must Visit Places’ as we reported in the piece ‘CNN lists Arusha best place to visit in 2026‘

Tanzania also won two top place recognitions; both, Africa’s and the World’s Leading Safari Destination at the 2025 World Travel Awards. In turn, the recognition secured Tanzania the rights to host the World Tourism Awards that will be held December 2026, later this year.

“This positions Tanzania as Africa’s undisputed safari leader and for travelers planning their dream African adventure, the message is clear: Tanzania is hitting its stride, and there’s never been a better time to visit,” notes

Not only has the country increased it’s tourism receipts and related revenue, it has also achieved considerable wildlife conservation initiatives.

According to the latest available data from Wildaf, elephant population in Tanzania grew 29.3% over the last decade increasing from 43,000 (2014) to over 60,000 (2023). Similarly, the number of prides of lion has grown to 17,000 according to government and WildAid reports.

The country also boasts strategic investments in tourism supporting infrastructure including roads, airports, railways and hotels.

What this means for tourists is guaranteed citing of the Big Five along with affordable and easy access to the country with  accomodation options ranging from backpackers’ bed and breakfast to five star brand hotels. “Tanzania has achieved what many thought impossible – breaking every revenue record while simultaneously strengthening wildlife conservation.”

Tanzania tourism growth investment paying dividend

Addressing a wildlife stakeholders’ meeting in the nation’s capital Dodoma, Dr. Ashatu Kijaji, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the growth is attributed to strategic investments that the country has made.

“The industry is solid and vibrant…thanks to global rebranding efforts designed to reposition Tanzania as Africa’s premier destination,” she told stakeholders.

She said the increase in both tourists and wildlife numbers is the result of years of investment in marketing, infrastructure, and conservation. The minister credited two campaigns as having proven particularly effective. The first been the Royal Tour documentary in which the country’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan gives a tour of the country’s top destinations herself.

The second is the Amazing Tanzania film series which showcases the country’s diversity beyond traditional safari; it highlights historic and cultural sites like Zanzibar’s white sandy beaches and Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest summit all the way to ancient ruins in Bagamoyo, the infamous slave trade market.

“Beyond marketing, the success reflects strengthened government-private sector cooperation,” the minister said.

She complemented on going Public Private Partnerships (PPP) saying tourism operators, lodge owners, safari companies, and government agencies are now working together more effectively than ever before.

“This collaboration has improved service standards, streamlined regulations, and created a more welcoming environment for international visitors,” she detailed.

Summing up, she said the result of the effective PPP is “…a tourism ecosystem that delivers world-class experiences while ensuring local communities benefit directly.”

Tanzania conservation initiatives aid Safari capital goals

While tourism receipts have increased dramatically over the last few years, so has the number of wildlife thanks to multifaceted conservation efforts.

Tanzania’s tourism success is ‘a conservation playbook’ for the rest of Africa, says the UN wildlife conservation agency WildAid. “This isn’t growth at nature’s expense – it’s growth that funds and supports conservation,” reads the WildAid 2025 conservation report.

The most striking example is the increase in elephant numbers that the ministry reports have grown from 43,000 in 2014 to over 60,000 in 2023, an increase of 29.3%.

The growth makes Tanzania only third to Botswana and Zimbabwe in terms of elephant numbers.

“The turnaround is extraordinary given the poaching crisis that decimated elephant populations across East Africa in the 2000s and early 2010s,”

In that time, Tanzania lost approximately 60% of its elephants and the recovery is evidence of effectiveness of the National Anti-Poaching Strategy (2023-2033).

Among other things, the strategy has strengthened institutional capacity and deepened community involvement in conservation.

“When local communities benefit from tourism revenue, they become wildlife’s most effective protectors,” says the WildAid report.

Thanks to these efforts, today, Tanzania is also home to the world’s largest populations of lions.

Lions, Africa’s iconic wildlife symbol, face grave threats as their territories vanish under pressure of urban and agricultural expansion.

“Unregulated trophy hunting hasn’t helped, removing some of the strongest males from the already struggling prides,” the report decries.

The report cites Tanzania as one of the last strongholds of the king of beasts; “This East African country is home to the world’s largest remaining wild lion population…it is no overstatement to say that Tanzania is the key battleground for the species’ future.”

There are an estimated 17,000 individual lions in Tanzania’s wild and an approximated over 24,000 leopards.

Tanzanian Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Hassan Abbasi confirmed the numbers at a press conference (April 29) during a visit with Uganda’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Doreen Katusiime.

The Ugandan delegation is in Tanzania for a study tour as part of a regional knowledge-sharing program that is aimed at exchanging experiences on combating poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

“Tanzania’s conservation efforts have led to a significant decline in poaching and a steady recovery of wildlife populations, particularly lions,” the PS said.

“These numbers aren’t just statistics; they represent thriving ecosystems where apex predators can hunt, breed, and maintain natural balance,” she said.

“For safari travelers, this means exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities. You’re not visiting depleted parks with scattered remnants – you’re experiencing ecosystems functioning as they have for millennia,” the official concluded.

The end result is a thriving wildlife ecosystem that is benefiting surrounding communities along with the country and region as well.