• Kenya is the third largest tourism economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria
The rising political undertones in the country could affect tourism performance, and divert the gains that were enjoyed last year, the government has said.
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Najib Balala said although the tourism climate is still unaffected by politics of the day, the pace needs to slow down.
“Last year, international tourists spent over Sh157 billion, accounting for over 15 per cent of total exports,” he said during the launch of a partnership between Express Travel Group of Kenya and Travel Leaders Group, a global travel seller.
He said the rise of social media combined with mobile access (Somo), has increased the number of holidaymakers booking their travel and vacation trips on the mobile gadget, taking over from traditional ways of running the trade.
Last year, Kenya’s tourism and travel industry grew by 5.6 per cent to contribute Sh790 million to the economy, at the same time creating 1.1 million jobs locally.
This makes Kenya the third largest tourism economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria, both of which grew substantially less than Kenya in 2018.
The largest inbound international markets were the USA at 11 per cent, the UK with nine per cent, India at six per cent, China and Germany both bringing in four per cent. He also urged the government to increase the number of international airports in the country, to make entry into the nation smooth, and enhance meetings, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). He called for more investment into the constructions for Mice destinations that can support KICC as a national destination for conferencing.
The new entrant into the Kenyan market looks to expand in both corporate and leisure travel markets in East Africa.