Browsing: Kenya Tourism Board

International tourist arrivals grew 32 per cent in the half-year to June, closing at 847,810 as Kenya’s tourism sector growth continued post-Covid-19. This was up from 642,861 arrivals recorded in the same period last year, as official data from the Ministry of Tourism indicates.
The performance represents a 92 per cent recovery compared to the same period in 2019. The increased numbers came with higher earnings for the country and the sector.…

• Players in Kenya’s tourism industry asked to offer unique and cutting-edge services and experiences to tourists. Last year, international arrivals in Kenya rose by 70.45% to 1.48 million from 870,465 in 2021.
• The inbound receipts also rose 83% to $1.9 billion from $1 billion prior. 
• This is, however, a far cry from 2019 when 2.05 million arrivals landed in Kenya

By embracing innovation in tourism, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) says players in the industry can further enhance tourism offerings and attract a larger number of visitors. East Africa’s largest economy has been experiencing a return to near pre-pandemic levels in international arrivals. KTB, however, is challenging stakeholders drive innovation in tourism to drive the numbers further up.

Innovation in tourism to remain relevant

Speaking on the sidelines of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) annual symposium in Mombasa, KTB Chairperson, Francis Gichaba, said innovation in tourism …

Kenya is set to sign business deals in the Indian market as Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) leads its members to this year’s Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) tourism fair in the country.

The expo to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre, in Mumbai from February 2-4, will bring together exhibitors from over 60 countries, as destinations globally smart out of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 14 Kenyan travel trade partners will take part in the three–day exhibition with the country seeking to reposition itself in the Indian market, whose growth has picked up to about 90 per cent by the close of last year, compared to 2021.

KTB acting CEO John Chirchir says OTM is giving Kenya an opportunity for re-entry into the Indian market that was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“India is one of the markets whose travel was negatively impacted with the Covid-19. We …

The tourism industry globally is one of the most sensitive sectors easily affected by political, economic, and social issues. 2020 has been one of the worst times for tourism in almost all destinations with countries losing billions of dollars as the world shut down over the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that global international tourist arrivals have decreased by 58 percent to 78 percent in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US$0.9 to 1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts. In many of the world’s cities, planned travel went down by 80 percent to 90 percent. 

More than 2.5 million Kenyans working in the tourism sector lost their jobs in the first half of 2020 due to COVID-19 related disruptions, according to the government. This has devastated communities that depend on this important sector.  

To address the challenge, governments, industry players and tech-startups …

Slawek Muturi has seen all of it. He has been to each UN-recognized country at least twice, joining a group of just a handful individuals to achieve this fete, and now plans to be the only person to have visited all the 193 countries in a single year when he embarks on his global tour in 2021.

Born in Poland to a Kenyan father and Polish mother, Muturi has carried the country of his father close to his heart. So much has been the love that in several instances, he singlehandedly negotiated trade deals between Poland and Kenya and boosted tourist numbers significantly.

It all started on a chilly October morning of 2004. Though Muturi had grown and schooled in Kenyan schools including Kenyatta Mwatate, Alliance High School and prestigious St Mary School, he had not reached a level where he would interact with senior government officials.

On this October, …