The recent uptick in Kenya’s visitor numbers has gained momentum, new data revealed on Monday, with 37.33%  growth in visitor arrivals year ending 2018.

Statistics released by the Tourism Ministry showed that in 2018 more than 2,025,206 million visitors arrived in Kenya compared to 1,474,671 witnessed in 2017. Of those, 3.57 million, or 77%, were from the mainland.

This accounted for KSh157 billion compared to KSh119.9 billion earned the previous year.

“Tourism performance for the year 2018 has seen substantial improvement compared to 2017 in both tourism arrivals, domestic tourism performance, and earnings,” says the Tourism Sector Performance Report 2018.

Nature of the visits includes holiday, business and conference, visiting friends and relatives.

The US remains Kenya’s No.1 source market. Further growth in this market is anticipated with Kenya Airways new route according to the ministry.

 

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Based on that trend, the ministry forecast that “The growth of arrivals expected to grow with more reception of the open sky policy.”

Commenting on the report, President Uhuru Kenyatta said “As part of enhancing repeat visits, as well as recommending destination to visitors. Kenya currently has a total of 68 global hotel brands, a clear indication that the international community is confident of returns in investment in the tourism sector.”

David Indeje

David Indeje serves as the community engagement editor at Khusoko, a digital platform covering East African business news. He manages editorial content, engages audiences, and amplifies diverse voices while consulting on digital strategy for brands in agriculture, governance, technology, and health. Indeje explores AI’s impact on journalism and works as a communications officer at KICTANet.

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