Kenya holidays! This is a favorite of the tourism industry of Kenya for American tourists and big business. This is shown by the 2019 Report from the Kenya Tourism Sector. The National Bureau of Statistics has just released it report.
Najib Balala, Tourism Secretary in Kenya, is the person credited for an African tourism achievement of $1.6 billion.
Americans like to travel to Kenya, as for this East African country, the United States remains the largest source of western tourism, followed by the United States (UK), India, China, Germany, France and Italy.
Global visits to Kenya came to 2,048,334 in 2019, 1,423,971 to Nairobi, 128,222 to Mombasa. Twenty-seven, four hundred and fourty-seven tourists entered other airports by ground.
Total arrivals in 2018 were registered at 2,025,206-Kenya’s growth in 2019 was 1,167%.
Together with the overall growth of 1,167%, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport showed significant growth of 6.07% and 8.56% respectively.
The majority of the entry points showed a decrease of -12.69% in arrivals at the land borders.
This suggests that the growth of international access to Kenya will continue to be powered by air connectivity
The current visitors course markets from 1 to 20
USA 245,437
Uganda: 223,010
Tanzania: 193,740
UK: 181,484
India: 122,649
China: 84,208
Germany: 73,1509
France: 54,979
Italy: 54,607
South Africa: 46,926
Rwanda: 42,321
Canada: 41,039
Ethiopia: 40,220
The Netherlands: 37,266
Nigeria: 32,906
Somalia: 32,268
Burundi: 31,218
Australia: 27,867
Spain: 26,398
South Sudan: 24,646
The age for visitors:
18-24 11%
25-34 29%
35-44 30%
45-54 18%
55-64 8%
65 and over 4%
63.15% of all visitors traveled on holiday, 13.5% on business, 10.5% visited friends and families,
The revenue from Kenya for travel and tourism for 2019 was USD 1.610.342.854, with a sale of 4.955.800 beds. In 2018, there were 4,489,000 estimates.
How did Destination Kenya promote?
- Global Online consumer campaigns on Google,
- Online Travel agencies such as Travel Zoo
- Aljazeera and CNN Online
- Continuous Digital consumer advertising campaigns on Expedia and Tripadvisor and on social media and Google search.
- Joint marketing campaigns with travel trade associations such as APTA, SATOA, ATTA, in key markets.
- Travel trade roadshows in the UK, India, USA and China markets showcasing experiences and services by the private sector players
Global travel fairs include Nairobi MKTE, Berlin ITB, Singapore ITB Asia, London WTM, Cape Town WTM Africa, India OTM and USTOA.
- “TembeaKenyaNaMimi” was the focus of domestic promotions on TV, digital platforms and radio.
- Profiling activities for a worldwide PR campaign for positive benefits in places such as the Kenya Golf Open, the New York Marathon and Ineos 1:59 Challenge.
- Refreshed brand – “Embrace More Magic”
Increased arrivals include positive developments in 2019:
- Results after the resumption of Paris-Nairobi flights in 2018. Air France increased its frequency of flights in March 2019 from 3 to 5 weekly flights. The French economy also saw growth while others such as the United Kingdom declined.
- In December 2018, Qatar Airways started direct flying from Doha to Mombasa. Doha is a big link centre, it was anticipated to serve various markets.
- The flight frequency for Mombasa increased between one and two daily flights each year by Ethiopian Airlines.
- Their charter flights to Moi International Airport are further enhanced by TUI and Neos via Mombasa.
- In October 2018 the launch of Kenya Airways ‘ direct flights from Nairobi to New York led to a sustainable growth in the US market.
Throughout the year, the country has witnessed political stability. The tourism climate was stable and thus contributed to reported growth.
With continued government investment in it, the security situation remained stable over the year.
Late in the year, there was a terrorist attack on tourism at Dusit2 hotel in Nairobi.
In 2019, Kenya improved five positions to 56 in worldwide, with investors ‘ attractiveness up from 61 in 2018, the World Bank ranked Kenya as easy-to-use market.
It includes the development of processes that promote start-ups in Kenya and the Government’s determination to continue implementing a comprehensive regulatory framework and improve the business environment.
The growth reported however was slower than expected, and this could be due to important factors, such as the January 2019 Dusit d2 terrorist attack and the subsequent restoration of certain travel warnings where notifications were withdrawn in 2018.
- The budgetary resources available for tourism development and marketing were diminishing in 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years.
- Worldwide growth usually slowed down. UNWTO announced that the overall growth of tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa grew by 1% until September of that year, and worldwide the growth rate slowed from 6% in 2018 to 4%.
Global Indicators: International tourists have risen 4% from the 6% growth reported in 2018 for January-September 2019 which is a 4% annual average over the past 10 years (2008-2018). This is a 4% year-on-year rise.
The growth of North Africa has increased by 10%, and Sub-Sahara Africa has risen by 1%, comparable to Kenya production. European carriers (UNWTO) demonstrated a major turnaround in 2019 powered by higher operating cash-flow production. Passenger traffic rose by 9.9% year on year in Africa and Middle East. The United States announced a 2.4 percent decrease in air passenger volumes driven by rising social and political instability in some of the main economies of the region (IATA)
According to the UNWTO Tourism Barometer, for January-September 2019, the figures from 127 destinations in the world show that international tourism receipts are rising across most regions. In contrast to that time last year, there were 78% (99 destinations), while 22% saw a reduction in international tourist incomes.
36.1% of international visitors to Kenya make free independent travel. Popularity is increasing as:
- Freedom from personal freedom rather than being ‘ ‘ strung down ‘ to a group of friends, family or spouse.
- Personal growth from solo adventure experience.
- Wanting to maximize ‘’me-time.
- Opportunity to meet new people and make many friends.
Some young individuals seeking social activities or a partner.
- Many widowed elderly people use long-term hotel or cruises as a luxury alternative to traditional elderly programs.
Tourism service providers should optimize this potential:
- Offering packages like professional, personalized one-on one tours
- Ensuring security, trust and reliability of destination
Value for Money
This is fuelled by various factors including:
- Last-minute offers on the internet.
- An array of price comparison tools at travellers’ disposal.
- Reading former guests’ online reviews.
It has contributed to a form of passenger being maximised. There is a greater sense of value for money and the price ranking of destinations.
Trends for 2020 and beyond
27% of visitors are searching for a new destination, while nearly a third (32%) are looking for a new resort or town that is more adventurous “(ABTA), Gastronomy is becoming an increasingly central component of the tourism experience, instead of being a good experience. Innovative food is required, organic and special diets are provided and hygiene standards are high.
In comparison to static pre-determined packages tourists want flexibility when booking goods at the destination. Local experiences are becoming some of the top tourism trends from local cuisine to regional festivals and holidays. The more you get to an experiment, the more likely it is for you to return and use the same service, the more you can adjust it to your wishes and desires.
Convenience Through Technology
Accessible tourism includes people with physical and intellectual impairment and includes people with mobility needs, including seniors and babies throughout the human cycle, over and above the number of people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Accessible Tourism: The road towards an omnichannel presence leads social media power in the room of the tour operator, using their audiences to launch curative and personalized tours.
Kenya is a East African country with an Indian Ocean coastline. Savanna, Lakeland, Great Rift Valley and mountain ranges are all in it. Wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos is at home as well. Safaris explore the Maasai Mara Reserve from Nairobi, the capital, and the national park of Amboseli providing views of 5,875 meters of the Mt. Kilimanjaro of Tanzania.
