Unguja. International tourist arrivals to Zanzibar rose by 4.9 percent in February 2026, signalling continued resilience in the islands’ tourism sector despite a seasonal dip from January levels.
According to data from the Office of the Chief Government Statistician Zanzibar (OCGS), the islands received 86,839 visitors in February, up from 82,750 recorded in the same month last year.
However, the figure represents a 13.3 percent decline compared to 100,216 arrivals in January 2026.
The data shows that European tourists continued to dominate Zanzibar’s tourism market, accounting for 77.4 percent of all arrivals in February.
Italy remained the leading source market, contributing 15.4 percent of total visitors, followed by France at 10.4 percent, while New Zealand recorded the smallest share at just 0.02 percent.
Zanzibar’s main gateway remained air transport, with 94.6 percent of visitors entering through airports. Of these, 66,446 arrived on international flights and 15,709 on domestic connections. A smaller number, 4,684 visitors entered via seaports, including 43 cruise ship passengers and 4,641 ferry travellers from mainland Tanzania.
Tourism in Zanzibar remains heavily leisure-driven, with 99.7 percent of visitors travelling for holidays. Only 0.2 percent visited friends and relatives, while 0.1 percent travelled for other purposes.
In terms of demographics, male visitors accounted for 56.9 percent of arrivals, while females made up 43.1 percent. Both groups recorded declines compared to January, reflecting the overall month-on-month drop in arrivals.
The majority of tourists 82.9 percent were aged between 15 and 64 years, indicating a strong presence of working-age travellers. Visitors aged 65 and above accounted for 11.6 percent, while children under 15 made up 5.5 percent.
The report also highlights growing interest from emerging tourism markets, including Poland, India, Russia, Israel, China and Ukraine, with arrivals from these countries increasing by 8.6 percent compared to February 2025.
On average, visitors stayed in Zanzibar for eight nights, with the largest share of 31.1 percent spending about a week on the islands.
Accommodation performance remained strong, with 692,932 beds sold out of 922,964 available, translating into an occupancy rate of 75.1 percent during the month.
The latest figures underscore Zanzibar’s continued appeal as a leading tourism destination in East Africa, supported by strong demand from Europe and growing interest from new international markets.
