Inside Tanzania’s $4.2B Tourism Industry: The impact story Zara Tanzania Adventures has written in 40 years

MONDAY May  4, 2026

By Adam Ihucha

The Tranquillity News Correspondent, Tanzania

At dawn on the southern lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the air is cool and thin, and the horizon glows amber over acacia-dotted plains.

Porters shift loads onto their backs, guides check oxygen levels, and a group of trekkers—some anxious, others exhilarated—prepare for the slow ascent.

Among the hum of preparation, there is another story unfolding, less visible but just as enduring: The 40-year rise of Zara Tanzania Adventures, a company that has helped redefine how tourism works in Tanzania.

It is, in many ways, a story about seeing what others did not.

The opportunity others missed

In 1986, a young female from Hedaru, a small town in Same District in Kilimanjaro Region, was working as a sales executive for Air Tanzania in Moshi town.

Ms Zainab Ansell had spent eight years learning the rhythms of travel—ticketing, customer needs, and the ebb and flow of international visitors.

But she also noticed a gap.

Tourists were arriving in Tanzania, drawn by Kilimanjaro, the sweeping plains of Serengeti National Park, and the dramatic beauty of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Yet the experience on the ground often lacked cohesion.

Much of the industry was dominated by foreign operators, with local communities seeing limited benefit.

Ansell made a decision that, at the time, must have seemed improbable.

“I asked my boss for a one-year unpaid leave,” she later recalled. “If the business didn’t break even, I could go back to my job.” She never did.

In its first year, her fledgling company hosted 106 tourists.

It employed just four people—a modest beginning by any standard.

Building something bigger

Forty years on, that modest operation has grown into one of Tanzania’s most recognisable tourism brands.

Zara Tanzania Adventures now operates nine properties, employs over 940 staff members, and serves around 7,881 tourists per year—a remarkable trajectory in an industry where longevity itself can be elusive.

Tourism in Tanzania is a $4.2 billion industry, contributing around 17 per cent of GDP.

But beyond the macroeconomics lies a more human question: Who benefits?

By one common estimate, a single wage earner supports six family members.

By that measure, Zara Tanzania Adventures sustains approximately 5,640 lives daily.

“When I look back four decades ago, I am very grateful to my Allah,” says Ansell, widely known as Mama Zara. “From four people to 940 workers—this is what gives me satisfaction.”

Beyond business

What distinguishes Zara is not only its scale but its philosophy.

At the core of Ansell’s approach is a commitment to ensuring tourism revenue reaches those often excluded from it—particularly women in rural communities.

In northern Tanzania, Maasai women have traditionally had limited access to independent income.

Zara Tanzania Adventures developed what Ansell describes as a “special window”—a model that channels tourists’ spending directly to women artisans.

Through a women’s development centre, hundreds of Maasai women receive support to purchase raw materials, create beadwork and crafts, and sell them along routes to Tanzania’s most visited destinations.

For many participants, this income represents their first financial independence—enabling them to support households, educate children, and gradually shift entrenched social norms.

This innovation earned Ansell international recognition at the Global Gender Summit 2019, where she was honoured for creating jobs, improving lives, and addressing climate challenges.

The human stories behind the statistics

Numbers alone cannot capture the texture of impact.

In a Maasai village near Ngorongoro, a woman threads beads into intricate patterns for sale to passing tourists—transforming what was once cultural expression into economic agency.

On the slopes of Kilimanjaro, a porter prepares for another climb, now supported by health insurance and training as part of a programme benefiting 500 porters.

In Moshi, a student attends school through support linked to Zara Charity, which receives 15 per cent of the company’s profits annually.

Ansell’s guiding belief is simple: “If you want to help people fight poverty, give them education.”

These quieter victories—less visible than summit photographs—form the backbone of the company’s legacy.

A model of responsibility

Zara Tanzania Adventures invests more than 300 million Tanzanian shillings (approximately $120,000) annually in community support.

It also contributes approximately Sh1.5 billion (about $600,000) in taxes each year to the Tanzania Revenue Authority, which has recognised Ansell as a leading female taxpayer in the tourism industry in Tanzania.

Environmental stewardship is another pillar of the company’s work.

Around Kilimanjaro, Zara has helped plant nearly 3,000 trees in an effort to create a protective green belt.

In a separate initiative, it has supported the removal of seven tonnes of plastic waste from the Indian Ocean.

These efforts reflect a broader shift in global tourism toward sustainability and community engagement.

Changing the face of leadership

In an industry where women account for less than 1 per cent of leadership roles, Ansell’s rise carries particular weight.

Her success has not only created jobs but also expanded the idea of who can lead in Tanzania’s tourism sector.

“She has opened doors,” says one industry colleague. “Not just for women in tourism, but for women in business more broadly.”

Her leadership style—often described as both disciplined and nurturing—has earned her the nickname ‘Mama Zara’.

Forty years on

The 40-year anniversary celebrations near Kilimanjaro brought together employees, partners, and community members in a vibrant display of shared achievement.

Yet for Ansell, the milestone is not an endpoint.

The challenges ahead—climate pressure, global competition, and evolving traveller expectations—are significant.

But so too is the foundation her company has built.

Why it matters

For travellers, Tanzania remains one of the world’s most compelling destinations.

But increasingly, visitors are asking deeper questions about impact and responsibility.

Companies like Zara Tanzania Adventures offer one answer: A model where tourism supports not just experiences, but communities.

Still climbing

Back on Kilimanjaro, trekkers begin their ascent, step by step.

Forty years after its founding, Zara Tanzania Adventures is on a similar path—still climbing, still evolving, still grounded in the belief that the journey matters as much as the destination.

And in that belief lies its enduring legacy.