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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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According to the 2018 World Travel and Tourism Council report, Kenya is positioned as the third largest tourism economy in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria.
According to the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) total international arrivals for January 2019 by air closed at 88,705 compared to 76,649 in January 2018, illustrating an increase of 15.7 percent.
New developments in infrastructure such as the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) linking Nairobi to Mombasa.
Aggressive route expansions by the National Carrier, Kenya Airways through its non-stop flights to Cape Town, Mauritius and New York coupled with the increase in the number of high-end hotels present within the country have all led to the upsurge of tourists visiting the country reinforcing Kenya's attractiveness to the leisure travellers.
In a recent report , holiday was listed as the major reason for travel into Kenya this January, taking a share of 69.15percent of the total arrivals in the period. In absolute numbers, holiday arrivals increased by 0.5 percent to record 61,342 in 2019 as compared to 61,059 in 2018.
The report further states that the USA retains its first position, contributing 12.9 percent of total arrivals into the country in 2019, followed closely by Italy with 12 percent. The UK, Germany, India and China close the top six list with a contribution of 9.5 percent, 7.2 percent, 5.3 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.
According to a research done by The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) the capacity of Kenya to offer luxury tourism, the current target, has been largely compromised by the effects of years of promoting mass tourism. Specifically, the capacity has been affected by overcrowding at tourist sites, overdevelopment of tourist facilities, political instability around elections, sporadic terrorist attacks, poor infrastructure, and environmental degradation.
Top end tourism is big in Asia. Thailand which is known for its budget friendly facilities and affordable accommodation is today changing and shifting focus to service high end tourists and clients visiting the country. Closer to home Rwanda is positioning itself as a luxury tourist destination by broadening its appeal to attract wealthy clientele through its mountain gorillas.
