Is Tanzania building a second safari empire?

SUNDAY June 7, 2026

By Adam Ihucha

The Tranquillity News Correspondent, Tanzania

For decades, Tanzania’s tourism economy has revolved around a familiar constellation of attractions: The Serengeti’s vast plains, the Tarangire’s wildlife-rich park, and the well-established safari routes of the country’s north.

Now, Tanzanian officials are attempting to rewrite that geography.

Backed by a 146.59 billion-shilling ($56 million) public investment, the government is betting that improved infrastructure across the southern safari circuit can transform some of Africa’s largest but least-visited protected ecosystems into a new engine of tourism growth, conservation financing, and rural development.

The initiative, implemented through the Resilient Natural Resources Management for Tourism and Growth (REGROW) project, a partnership between the Tanzanian government and the World Bank, represents one of the most ambitious tourism infrastructure programmes ever undertaken in southern Tanzania.

At stake is a long-standing challenge for the country’s tourism industry: How to distribute visitors and economic benefits beyond the northern parks that have dominated international itineraries for generations.

“The investments undertaken through the REGROW project are aimed at improving conservation management, enhancing visitor experiences, and creating an enabling environment for sustainable tourism growth and private-sector investment,” Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) Conservation Commissioner CPA (T) Musa Nassoro Kuji revealed.

The strategy reflects a growing recognition among tourism planners that infrastructure, not wildlife, has often been the limiting factor in the south.

Southern Tanzania contains some of the continent’s most expansive wildlife landscapes, including Nyerere, Mikumi, and Ruaha national parks.

Yet, despite their ecological significance, these parks have historically attracted a fraction of the visitors received by northern destinations, constrained by poor road access, limited accommodation, fewer air connections, and a shortage of visitor facilities.

The REGROW project seeks to address these obstacles directly.

Across the three parks, the government has financed a broad range of infrastructure to improve accessibility, visitor comfort and park management.

In Nyerere National Park, investments included a new main entrance gate and supporting facilities, a 20-room rest house, ranger posts serving staff families, the Mtemere Campsite with capacity for 200 campers and the Mtemere Airport with its operational infrastructure.

At Mikumi National Park, the project funded entrance gates, the Kikoboga Visitor Information Centre, campsites, a picnic site, visitor cottages and the Kikoboga Airstrip, which remains under construction.

Ruaha National Park — Tanzania’s largest and a centrepiece of the southern circuit strategy — received extensive upgrades, including ranger posts, visitor centres, cottages, a 136-bed hostel, accommodation for drivers, the Ibuguziwa Ecological Monitoring Centre, and the development of the Kiganga and Ukwaherini airports with supporting infrastructure.

Beyond infrastructure, REGROW allocated 31.27 billion shillings for operational equipment, including 16 heavy machines, 44 heavy-duty vehicles, 35 light vehicles and seven tractors.

The equipment was distributed across conservation areas, with Nyerere receiving 41 units, Ruaha 38, Mikumi 12, Udzungwa eight and TANAPA headquarters three.

Officials say the investments are already delivering measurable returns.

According to Mr Kuji, the machinery and vehicles have reduced infrastructure maintenance costs by 1.48 billion shillings, equivalent to 61 per cent of previous spending on road rehabilitation, airstrip maintenance and water-retention works.

The equipment has also been used to rehabilitate and maintain 1,223 kilometres of roads, upgrade seven airstrips, and construct or service 35 sand dams across priority conservation areas.

The government’s investment comes as global tourism trends increasingly favour remote, low-density and longer-stay experiences — characteristics that many southern Tanzanian parks possess in abundance.

Industry stakeholders argue that improved accessibility could allow the southern circuit to capture a larger share of Tanzania’s tourism market, particularly among travellers seeking alternatives to heavily trafficked safari destinations.

Tourism remains one of Tanzania’s key sources of foreign exchange, and policymakers see the southern circuit as one of the sector’s largest untapped opportunities.

Increased visitation could stimulate demand for accommodation, transport, food services and other tourism-related businesses, generating employment and income across surrounding regions.

The REGROW project was therefore designed with a dual purpose: Strengthening conservation management while expanding economic opportunities for communities living near protected areas.

Officials expect higher tourism revenues, increased private-sector investment and new tourism enterprises across the value chain.

Longer visitor stays are also expected to increase spending in local economies, creating multiplier effects beyond the parks themselves.

Yet, the ultimate test of the strategy remains ahead.

TANAPA has not yet released projections on how many additional visitors the southern circuit could attract or how much revenue the investments may generate.

However, official data suggest the region is already gaining momentum.

Tourist arrivals in the southern tourism circuit rose sharply over the past five years, reflecting growing interest in parks such as Nyerere, Mikumi, Saadani, and Udzungwa Mountains national parks.

The circuit welcomed 98,664 visitors in 2021, rising to 179,765 in 2022 and 199,310 in 2023.

Arrivals then climbed to 264,139 in 2024 before easing slightly to 253,222 in 2025.

This is not simply an infrastructure programme, it is a strategic investment in the future of southern Tanzania’s tourism economy, conservation sustainability, and community development,” Tanzania National Parks Conservation Commissioner CPA (T) Musa Nassoro Kuji.

In total, the southern tourism circuit attracted 906,300 visitors between 2021 and 2025, highlighting its growing contribution to Tanzania’s tourism economy.

The sustained upward trend suggests that long-standing investments in conservation, accessibility, and visitor services are beginning to unlock the potential of a region that has historically lagged behind the northern safari circuit.

For policymakers, the figures offer early evidence that diversification beyond the north may be starting to work.

Increased visitor traffic not only boosts park revenues but also stimulates demand for tourism services across southern Tanzania.

Industry stakeholders believe continued investment in infrastructure, marketing, and private-sector participation could accelerate growth further, positioning the southern circuit as a major driver of tourism earnings, conservation financing, and rural development.

Whether this shift materialises, will depend not only on infrastructure, but also on marketing, airline connectivity, private investment, and global travel demand.

Still, the scale of the commitment signals a long-term policy shift.

For years, Tanzania’s tourism narrative has been dominated by the north.

By investing 146.59 billion shillings in infrastructure and a further 31.27 billion shillings in operational equipment, the government is attempting to build a second tourism growth pole in the country’s vast southern wilderness.

“This is not simply an infrastructure programme,” Mr Kuji said. “It is a strategic investment in the future of southern Tanzania’s tourism economy, conservation sustainability, and community development.”

Whether that vision succeeds, will determine if the southern circuit becomes a complement to Tanzania’s iconic northern parks — or the country’s next major tourism frontier.