Africa accounts for 29% of international arrivals for Kenya last year

Monday, June 11, 2018

Last year, Africa accounted for 29 per cent of international arrivals as the Kenyan tourism industry grew at the backdrop of increased business, cultural and linguistic ties between countries in the continent, according to Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.

 
Mr. Balala was speaking at the 61st UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, last week. Balala noted that creation of the Continental Free Trade Area would further boost the intra-African tourism.

 
To quote Balala, “Indeed, Africa has shown great potential over the last five years gaining a five per cent share of arrivals by region over the past five years. We believe Africa is the next frontier in the tourism business.”

 
Mr Balala, who is also the Chairman of the UNWTO Commission for Africa, attributed this to Kenya’s increased investment in African markets such as Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Rwanda over the last three years.

 
“As part of that investment, Africans wishing to visit Kenya are now eligible to receive a visa on arrival. Kenya is now among 21 African countries which have either relaxed or scrapped visa rules,” said Mr. Balala.

 
In order to boost tourism between Kenya and Nigeria, the Kenya Tourism Board last week held a two-day workshop to educate travel agents on creating attractive local tourism packages.

 
Arrivals to Kenya from Nigeria have steadily grown from 11,072 in 2009 to 16,165 in 2017, thereby marking a 46 per cent growth.

 
Travel from Nigeria to Kenya is mainly for business and leisure purposes.

 
Urban centres like Nairobi and Mombasa hold the highest appeal due to the rich offerings of social scenes and shopping.

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