Kenya’s international tourist arrivals fell by just 2.3% during the March election this year, with its tourism board confident the country's image is improving.
Kenya Tourism told Travel Today that the latest election has “propelled Kenya’s image as a safe and peaceful destination” despite an outbreak of violence that left 13 people dead.
“There was a little bit of a dip but unlike in previous years this dip was very minimal, only 2.3% which therefore means that we have been able to build tourism to the point whereby it has resilience,” Kenya Tourism managing director Murithi Ndegwa said.
Kenya has struggled with its tourism image following ethnic violence that left more than 1,100 dead and 6,000 displaced after the 2007 elections.
Travel safety is "guaranteed," according to Ndegwa, due to a 24 hour tourism security body as well as a new tourism act which mandates a crisis communication centre.
Latest figures show that European arrivals have fallen from 55% in previous years to 33% last year with other African and emerging markets filling this fall in numbers.
“The overreliance on traditional source markets has been mitigated against the virtue of our strategy,” Ndegwa said.
The highest number of international arrivals was recorded in 2011 and the total arrival figures stand at more than one million.
“By reducing overreliance on a few products, we believe our market diversification has been bearing fruit,” Ndegwa said.
Tourism investment has grown in Kenya with a new Nairobi airport terminal and business hotel development expected to boost international arrivals.
