The objective of this article is to investigate the impact of cultural tourism on welfare as perceived by communities in rural Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The survey, which involved 85 randomly selected households in five villages during 2013, was qualitatively analysed through quasi-statistics, domain analysis and narratology. The research findings confirmed that cultural tourism contributes significantly to improving the livelihoods of people. Its impact differed from one village to another but what they all had in common was their ability to get a reliable source of income, unlike in the past when they solely depended on selling their livestock or seasonal crops. After the introduction of cultural tourism in the area 10 years ago, local people noticed significant social progress, ranging from a rise in household income to gaining access to education and health facilities. However, a good number of residents have limited skills and professional knowledge coupled with a negative attitude to the industry. Therefore, this study underlines the importance of instituting training programmes at community level that will ultimately provide opportunities for local people to be employed in various tourist businesses.