Tourism earnings leapt 25.5 per cent to Sh34 billion in the first half of the year, helped by robust growth on the domestic front that accounted for 25 per cent of the total earnings.
Mr Jake Grieves-Cook, the chairman of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), said earnings had risen to Sh34 billion from Sh27 billion realized over the same period last year.
International arrivals also increased by 7.6 per cent over the same period last year to 877,430 signaling that growth that the sector has recorded since last year is yet to peak.
"We are still optimistic that we will reach the target of Sh62 billion by the end of the year," Ongong'a Achieng, managing director of the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB), told a news conference.
Kenya is famed for its palm-fringed white beaches and national parks, and tourism was its highest foreign exchange earner last year. KTB said this year's growth was driven by higher than usual arrivals during the March-August "low season", helped by the launch of direct flights from London by Virgin Atlantic in June.
Dr Achieng said the board is set to launch a domestic tourism campaign in October to further expand the market.
Source: allafrica.com (read the whole article)
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