- In the first half of 2023, Kenya’s tourism sector experienced an impressive 31% increase in earnings compared to the same period in the previous year.
- The industry’s revenue growth was propelled by a 32% increase in tourist visits, with the number rising from 642,861 to 847,810.
- Leading markets for arrivals included the US, Uganda, Tanzania, the UK, and India, while both domestic tourism and visits for business, conferences, and meetings also contributed to the positive trend.
As a result of the continuous global recovery, the tourism industry in Kenya saw a 31% increase in earnings in the first half of the year through June compared to the same time in 2022.
In the last six months, the tourism industry booked Ksh152.6 billion ($1.06 billion), up from Ksh116.2 billion ($807.79 million) in 2022, according to data from the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).
The revenues increased as tourist visits increased by 32%, from 642,861 to 847,810 in the same time in 2022. One of COVID-19’s hardest-hit industries was international travel and tourism, which is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
“The tourism sector in Kenya experienced a remarkable upswing in international arrivals leading to a positive effect on the country’s tourism receipts,” said the KTB in its report. “This performance is a 92 percent recovery when compared to the 2019 performance of 929,814 arrivals same period. Of significance is that June 2023 arrivals closed at 168,051. This is a growth of one percent when compared to 166,692,” the report adds.
Holidays continued to be the primary reason for entry closure throughout the study period, accounting for 338,509 (39.9%) of all entries. Visits for business, conferences, and meetings came in second with 226,908 arrivals, an increase of 26.8%, while visits to family and friends came in third with 213,417 arrivals, an increase of 25.2 percent.
44,620 (5.3%) people used the transit system. Other goals included sports, medical, education, and religion, totaling 24,356, a gain of 2.9%.
According to the data, the US (118,480), Uganda (89,968), Tanzania (69,777), the UK (65,563), and India (42,805) are the top five countries for overseas arrivals.
Some important markets have outperformed 2019 (January–June) performance, including the US (up 7% from 110,743 to 118,480), Italy (up 15.6% from 22,017 to 25,451), Germany (up 4% from 32,142 to 33,418), Rwanda (up 34.5% from 18,845 to 25,422), and Ethiopia (up 66.1%).
The Netherlands increased by 6.9%, from 19,123 to 20,442, Nigeria increased by 7.3%, from 15,307 to 16,424, Ghana increased by 28.1%, from 5,137 to 6,583, and Russia increased by 40.8 %, from 2,514 to 3,539.
Domestic tourism increased throughout the time period under study, with bed nights concluding the year 2023 (January–June) at 2.3 million, up from 2.02 million. This represents a 16 percent gain. The Easter holidays and business travel, respectively, are to blame for the best-performing months of April and June.
Source: Business Insider Africa
