Kenya’s tourism and wildlife minister, Najib Balala, said on Friday that tourist arrivals in Kenya surged by 91 percent between January and August compared with the same period last year.
According to Bharara, the country received 924,812 international tourists in the first eight months of this year, compared with 483,246 in the same period in 2021. Inbound tourism receipts rose to Sh167 billion ($1.39 billion) in the January-August period, compared with $691 million in the same period in 2021.
“Kenya’s tourism industry is recovering, as most of our key source markets contain the new crown epidemic, and international tourists are now confident to travel.” Bharara said.
Along with tea, horticulture and diaspora remittances, Kenya’s tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange earnings.
Bharara revealed that Kenya is innovating tourism products and expanding marketing to ensure the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism products. Kenya also hosts many international sporting events, which play a major role in attracting international tourists.
Bharara added that of the 924,812 international tourists, 313,466 were on vacation, 274,722 were visiting relatives and friends, 258,889 were traveling for business and attending conferences, exhibitions, etc., 43,883 were transit passengers, and the rest were due to travel. For other purposes such as education, religion or sport.
He observed that the main sources of international tourists to the country are the United States, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Tanzania and India.
Kenya has also launched a multilingual tourism promotion video, introducing Kenya’s culture, cuisine, vibrant cities, adventure and other diverse experiences. The videos are aimed at potential tourists from China, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Arabic-speaking countries.