Kenya’s Tourism Ministry said profits jumped 83% over the past year as the sector recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourism revenue is expected to more than double in the next four years. A new report from Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism says tourism sector profits rose to more than $2.1 billion last year.
That’s a big jump from the $1.16 billion raised in 2021 when the pandemic disrupted international travel.
The number of international tourists also rose to over 1.4 million from 870,000 in 2021.
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According to the ministry, 16% of visitors came from America last year. About 12% came from Uganda and 10% from Great Britain.
”Because of the nature of the relationship we have with the U.S. of course, and of course the nature of the numbers, says Peninah Malonza, Kenya’s minister of tourism, wildlife and heritage. “If you do proper marketing in any country and if that country has good numbers, looking at the population of the U.S. is quite a large population and this is our traditional market,” he said.
The impact of COVID-19 in 2020 has brought Kenya’s tourism industry to a halt, with over 2 million people losing their jobs during that time. Most of them have already returned to their jobs.
The tourism sector accounts for 10.4% of Kenya’s economy and 5.5% of formal employment.
