According to Business Daily Africa Tourist arrivals into the East African nation of Kenya, were down by 91.2 percent in the month of August 2020.
In August which was the first after domestic and international flights resumed in Kenya 14,049 tourists came into the country. This is a far cry from the in 159,804 international arrivals recorded during the same period in 2019.
The same year (2019), saw Kenya earn an impressive tourism revenue figure of 163.6 billion Kenyan Shillings, which was a 3.9 percent increase from the 157.4 billion Kenyan Shillings figure earned in 2018.
Observers believe that the decline is as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and its effects on various economies and collective spending power.
Data released from the Tourism Research Institute revealed that 45 percent of the tourists who arrived in Kenya in August of 2020 (6,368 tourists) came to visit family and friends.
3,685 tourists came to kenya for the holidays after the international flights were open. 2,335 tourists were travellers who arrived in the country on business and 1,129 arrived in Kenya on transit and headed to other destinations via the Moi International Airport in Mombasa and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
In March of 2020 the Kenyan government pressed pause on all domestic and international flights in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As a result of the decision, the country’s tourism sector saw a loss of at least 80 billion Kenyan Shillings in the first six (6) months of 2020, a severe blow to a sector that contributes around 10 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Najib Balala who is the Tourism Secretary, revealed that the ministry will now be releasing its data on tourists arrivals and travel every month while the tourism sector gradually gets back to business as usual after the shutdown. This will be the first time that the ministry will be releasing such data on a monthly basis.
He added that, “The data released is invaluable to the country as it helps us to keep track of international tourist numbers to determine whether tourism and travel is improving since the easing of travel restrictions and the resumption of international flights into the country.”
Kenya’s Wajir Airport received 1 tourist, Wilson Airport received 154 tourists, Moi International Airport received 645 tourists and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with 94.3 percent of the total number of tourists, received 13,249.
2,768 were from the United States making it the point of origin for Kenya’s tourists.
The United Kingdom followed closely behind with 2,469 tourist, with Uganda coming in third with 506 tourists.
July and August are usually Kenya’s peak tourism periods as many arrive in the country to experience firsthand the migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania m, to the Maasai Mara.
The numerous restrictions and prevention measures brought on as a result of the ongoing pandemic resulted in a large number of tourists choosing to abstain from travel of any kind. 2020 might just go down as one of Kenya’s worst years with regards to revenue from Tourism.
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