European-led.
Italy dominates — and growing.
Over 80% of Zanzibar's international arrivals come from Europe. Italy leads with 22.1% year-on-year growth, while emerging markets like Russia and Israel are growing far faster off a smaller base.
Italy is Zanzibar's largest source market, with 13,407 visitors in February 2026 (up 22.1% year-on-year), followed by France and Poland. Russia (+103.7%) and Israel (+366.7%) are the fastest-growing nationalities, though from a smaller base. Turkey grew 5.8% to 765 visitors in the same month.
| Nationality | Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 | YoY | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 10,977 | 13,407 | +22.1% | 15.4% |
| 🇫🇷 France | 9,340 | 9,071 | −2.9% | 10.4% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 8,242 | 7,295 | −11.5% | 8.4% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 6,544 | 6,349 | −3.0% | 7.3% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3,795 | 4,095 | +7.9% | 4.7% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 1,543 | 1,891 | +22.6% | 2.2% |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 970 | 1,976 | +103.7% | 2.3% |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 192 | 896 | +366.7% | 1.0% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 723 | 765 | +5.8% | 0.9% |
What this means for hospitality and F&B
With Italy, France, and Poland accounting for roughly a third of all arrivals, demand for European-standard dining, particularly Italian cuisine, is strong and currently underserved — see Food & Beverage opportunities.
The rapid growth from Russia and Israel signals diversifying source markets beyond traditional Western Europe, broadening the demand base and reducing reliance on any single market's economic conditions.