Kenya's Tourism Earnings Surge 32pc to Sh116.2 Billion

Phidel Kizito

Kenya earned a total of Sh116.2 billion from the tourism sector in the first half of the year to June, buoyed by a rising number of arrivals.

This represented a 32 percent jump from Sh152.6 billion during a similar period last year, according to the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).

Arrivals from entry points such as the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Moi International Airport in Mombasa, among others, went up from 642,861 to 847,810 in the review period.

"The tourism sector in Kenya experienced a remarkable upswing in international arrivals leading to a positive effect on the country's tourism receipts," KTB says in a new report.

"This performance is a 92% recovery when compared to 2019 performance of 929,814 arrivals same period."

Out of 847,810 visitors, a majority came from the United States of America (118,480), followed by Uganda (89,968), Tanzania (69,777), the UK (65,563), and India (42,805).

The purpose of the visits is topped by a holiday, followed by business meetings and conferences, visits to family and friends, transit, education, and religious reasons.

Local tourism was impacted by Covid-19 lockdown measures such as flight bans and border closures that saw hotels shut down.

Loosening of restrictions in 2021 helped rebound the sector, albeit incomparable with pre-coronavirus times.

"The tourism sector in Kenya experienced a remarkable upswing in international arrivals leading to a positive effect on the country's tourism receipts," KTB added.

August 16, 2023