This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Kenya's tourism sector has shown resilience despite a slight decline in tourist numbers over the last six months of 2019. According to the Tourism and Wildlife Ministry, the country received 921,090 tourists up to June, a 0.7% drop compared to the 927,797 visitors recorded in the same period the previous year.
Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala expressed optimism that the sector will still hit its full-year target, citing the encouraging numbers as a testament to the industry's growth. Speaking at the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) 17th annual symposium in Kwale County, Balala urged stakeholders to continue their efforts to surpass last year's performance.
Kenya earned Sh157 billion from the tourism sector last year, a significant increase from Sh119.9 billion in 2017. The country received 2,025,206 tourists during this period, up from 1,474,671 international arrivals in the previous year.
CS Balala commended KAHC for organizing the annual event, which brings together stakeholders to discuss the progress of the tourism sector. He also challenged industry players to implement the National Tourism Blueprint 2030, a document developed by the ministry to reform the sector by focusing on product, marketing, investment, and infrastructure.
“These latest statistics paint a rosy picture. This is very encouraging and is courtesy of you all here. I urge all of you to continue to put more efforts to ensure that we surpass our last year’s general performance at the end of the year,’’ said Balala.
