Hope as tourist arrivals to Kenya up 14 per cent
Jun. 06, 2016, 3:00 pm
By MARTIN MWITA, @mwitamartin and CHRISTINE NZUBA@CHRITINENZUBA
A file photo of tourists at Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Photo/NOBERT ALLAN
The number of tourists visiting Kenya grew by 14 per cent during the first quarter of the year, signalling a possible recovery after several terror attacks.
Total international arrivals for January to April 2016 (by air and sea) closed at 263,284 compared to 231,038 in the same period in 2015.
Tourism CS Najib Balala attributed the growth to continued marketing campaigns led by the Kenya Tourism Board. The board has helped restore confidence amongst key international market, who had shunned the country due to insecurity.
Speaking during the official release of the quarter one results in Nairobi on Monday, Balala said the government's investments in security have begun yielding fruit.
“The government has invested heavily in security. Since the Garissa attack (April 2, 2015) no other incidence has happened. We are optimistic 2016 will be a good year,” he said.
During the period under review, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport's arrivals grew by 13.6 per cent to record 229,594 visitors, compared to 202,071 in 2015.
Moi international Airport Mombasa recorded a total arrival of 31,810 up from 28,967 in 2015, a 9.8 per cent growth.
Arrival by sea-Cruise ship were 1,880.
But Balala warned the ongoing anti-IEBC protests could derail the country’s efforts to recover the sector.
“The last two weeks have sent shivers to the markets. All efforts to reassure people that Kenya is safe are going to waste. Politcal instability and lack of understanding are going to kill our industry,” he said.
The government has been on an offensive charm to win back international markets after a four year slump, mainly as a result of insecurity caused by Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents.
International arrivals hit a low of 1.18 million in 2015 from 1.35 million in 2014, a 12.6 per cent drop.
Tourism earnings dropped to Sh84.6 million last year as the sector recorded the lowest number of visitors in five years, the Economic Survey 2016 report shows.
In 2014, the sector's revenue was Sh87.1 billion. The number of visitors to Kenya was 1.5 million in 2013, 1.7 million in 2012, and 1.8 million in 2011.
Jun. 06, 2016, 3:00 pm
By MARTIN MWITA, @mwitamartin and CHRISTINE NZUBA@CHRITINENZUBA
A file photo of tourists at Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Photo/NOBERT ALLAN
The number of tourists visiting Kenya grew by 14 per cent during the first quarter of the year, signalling a possible recovery after several terror attacks.
Total international arrivals for January to April 2016 (by air and sea) closed at 263,284 compared to 231,038 in the same period in 2015.
Tourism CS Najib Balala attributed the growth to continued marketing campaigns led by the Kenya Tourism Board. The board has helped restore confidence amongst key international market, who had shunned the country due to insecurity.
Speaking during the official release of the quarter one results in Nairobi on Monday, Balala said the government's investments in security have begun yielding fruit.
“The government has invested heavily in security. Since the Garissa attack (April 2, 2015) no other incidence has happened. We are optimistic 2016 will be a good year,” he said.
During the period under review, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport's arrivals grew by 13.6 per cent to record 229,594 visitors, compared to 202,071 in 2015.
Moi international Airport Mombasa recorded a total arrival of 31,810 up from 28,967 in 2015, a 9.8 per cent growth.
Arrival by sea-Cruise ship were 1,880.
But Balala warned the ongoing anti-IEBC protests could derail the country’s efforts to recover the sector.
“The last two weeks have sent shivers to the markets. All efforts to reassure people that Kenya is safe are going to waste. Politcal instability and lack of understanding are going to kill our industry,” he said.
The government has been on an offensive charm to win back international markets after a four year slump, mainly as a result of insecurity caused by Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents.
International arrivals hit a low of 1.18 million in 2015 from 1.35 million in 2014, a 12.6 per cent drop.
Tourism earnings dropped to Sh84.6 million last year as the sector recorded the lowest number of visitors in five years, the Economic Survey 2016 report shows.
In 2014, the sector's revenue was Sh87.1 billion. The number of visitors to Kenya was 1.5 million in 2013, 1.7 million in 2012, and 1.8 million in 2011.
