Tourism revenue in Kenya surged by 91 percent to Ksh.167 billion in eight months to August 2022, compared to Ksh.83 billion recorded same period last year.
According to the Tourism Research Institute (TRI) data released on September 9, arrivals for the period under review stood at 924,812 from 483,246 recorded in the same period in 2021.
The surge in the arrivals was attributed renewed marketing efforts by the Ministry of Tourism under the Magical Kenya destination campaign which was mirrored by the coronavirus vaccination drive.
“The 91% increase translated to Ksh.167 Billion revenue compared to Ksh.83 Billion in the previous financial year which indicates that we are on an upward trajectory,” said Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najob Balala.
The significant rebound in revenue performance was still performing little below the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
With fully reopening of the global economy, CS Balala said the sector will soon bounce back to the pre-pandemic performance due to the continued vaccination drive.
“The numbers are still not where we want them to be, but we are optimistic that we shall soon go back to our all-time high international visitor arrivals recorded in 2019, and even surpass it. This is because COVID-19 is contained and international travellers are now fully confident to travel.”
Out of the 924,812 international arrivals, 313,466 were on holiday, 274,722 visiting family or friends, 258,889 for business and Meetings, Incentives, Exhibitions, and Conferences (MICE)- 43883 on transit, 16,196 for education, with the rest coming in for other purposes including religion, and sports.
The top 5 international arrivals by country were the United States at 15%, Uganda 9%, United Kingdom 9%, Tanzania 8%, and India 6%.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) remained the major point of entry with 681,811, Moi International Airport (MIA) recorded 40,355 arrivals with other airports showing a significant increase in arrivals.
The destination continued to host international events that include the Magical Kenya Open and The Magical Kenya Ladies open which came back after a 2-year break.
The WRC – Safari Rally which commenced in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus also returned in 2022 which have played a major role in rebuilding the confidence of visitors on destination Kenya.
“As part of our strategy to continue engaging travelers from across the world, we are ensuring that we reach every market and the best way is to make sure we can communicate to them in their own languages. The videos we are launching today have been translated to various languages for better and wider reach amongst audiences in our key source markets. So far, we have translated to native languages targeting the following countries: China, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Arabic- speaking countries” Said CS Balala
During the event, CS Balala launched multi-lingual destination videos targeting both key and emerging markets. The videos target the global traveler and put the destination top of mind among potential travelers and investors from various source markets across the world.
