Kenya tourist numbers down by a quarter so far in 2015

NAIROBI: The number of visitors to Kenya fell by 25 per cent in the first five months of 2015, according to tourism board figures, showing just how badly the industry has been damaged by a spate of Islamist militant attacks that have killed hundreds.

Tourism is a vital foreign exchange earner for the East African nation, which boasts palm-fringed beaches and safari trails, but a two-year slump has forced hotels to shut, cut job numbers and sent the shilling to three and half years lows. Visitor numbers fell to 284,313 from 381,278 in January to May 2014, a drop of 25.4 per cent, according to Kenya Tourism Board figures obtained by Reuters. That follows a fall of 4.3 per cent a year before. The number of visitors from Britain, the biggest contingent, fell by 35 per cent to 36,022 in the period. Tourist arrivals from the United States dropped 22 per cent to 30,083. “Tackling insecurity decisively remains the top priority of the government’s strategy to sustain the growth momentum of the economy while creating jobs and reducing poverty,” Finance Ministry Henry Rotich, said in Thursday’s 2015/16 budget speech.