The impacts of weather on tourism in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Abstract

Tourism, Weather and climate are interconnected in many ways. This study uses rainfall and temperature to assess impacts of weather on tourism in Zanzibar. The climate and weather are important factors for a safe traveling from home to the vacation destination. They contribute to the attractiveness of a potential vacation region with good weather and plenty of sunshine being among the most important expectations. In order to plan the vacation', the cIimate of a place is very important while during the vacation period, tourists need to know the actual weather. The results of the study have revealed the followings: There has been a rise in the number of tourists arriving in Zanzibar every year since 1985. Month by month the number of tourist arrivals are high during the months of July- September (JAS) and December to February (DLF).The peak month being August. This shows that the peak tourist arrivals occur during the dry months suggesting that rainfall is a major factor in planning for tourist arrivals. The number of tourists also is high during the months when the apparent temperature was lowest (~30°C) Correlation analysis had the highest correlation between number of tourist's arrivals and rainfall. Rainfall and maximum temperature showed trend in the plotted series but this trend was not statistically significant. Planning for tourists' arrivals in Zanzibar is not likely to be significantly affected by climate change at the Islands but we should be aware that there may be changes that may advocated in from outside the region.