Kenya’s Tourism Revenue Benefits from American Visitors

Kenya’s tourism revenue jumped by 83% to 268 billion shillings (about $2.1 billion) in 2022 amid a post-pandemic recovery, the government’s Tourism Research Institute announced last week.

Tourist arrivals in the East African country known for its safaris and sandy beaches increased by 72% to 1.48 million visitors over the past year, above the global average of 63%, the source added. The number of visitors however did not reach the pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, around 2 million tourists visited Kenya.

American tourists were the most numerous in 2022, accounting for 16% of arrivals, ahead of those from Uganda (12%), the United Kingdom (10%) and Tanzania (10%).

According to the Tourism Research Institute’s forecast, Kenya’s tourism revenue is expected to increase by almost 60% in 2023 to Sh425.4 billion (about $3.4 billion) while the number of visitors is expected to reach 2.35 million.

In the longer term, the Kenyan government aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals to about 3 million and revenues to Sh542 billion (about $4.3 billion) by 2027.

The tourism industry is one of Kenya’s main sources of foreign exchange. It accounts for about 10.4% of the country’s gross domestic product and 5.5% of its formal employment.