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Tourism is one of the fast growing industries in the world today. Many countries are attracted to it by its bright prospects despite temporary ups and downs. However, it is an extremely competitive industry. For East Africa, the traditional wildlife tourism product must be diversified and scuba diving is a good candidate in Tanzania. Marine tourism is relatively underdeveloped in Tanzania despite a wide range of important and valued species in the water bodies of the country. Research has shown that coastal zones around the world attract the largest number of tourists and the largest growth in the tourism sector is recorded in marine areas. Scuba diving is one of the coastal activities which are starting to receive more much attention due to its possible contribution to economic development. This paper provides an understanding of the potential and challenges for scuba diving tourism development in Tanzania and beyond. Tanzania can benefit from becoming a late comer to the planning involved in developing scuba diving especially by being more aware of its possible positive and negative impact on the marine environment.

Scuba diving, marine tourism, Zanzibar, product diversification