Kenya recorded 41% growth for incoming travellers last year which was a huge increase from the 470,000 that arrived in the previous year (2020).
According to the Kenya Tourism Board, tourists accounted for more than 30% of this influx, while another 30% were visiting family and friends.
But what do these numbers say about tourism in Kenya?
Has Kenya Tourism Recovered Yet?
Recent studies show that Kenya was receiving over 2 million tourists per year in recent decades. However, tourism all but disappeared during the pandemic and last year (2021) was slow for tourism all over the world.
In fact, Kenyan locals have fuelled the travel industry until now and it’s only in recent months that international tourism has started to pick up. Also, the above statistics only refer to the first ten months of last year which suggests the number of tourists arriving in Kenya is now even higher and that tourists likely account for a higher percentage of “incoming travellers”.
In my opinion (and this is just my opinion), this is great news for Kenya and a sign that tourism is on it’s way back. But the numbers are still extremely low and far from where they need to be in order for tourism to flourish.
Here’s to hoping for a quick and strong recovery in the year ahead!
