Between January and October this year, the number of international visitors into Kenya fell by 72% to 470,971 from 1,718,550 in the same period in 2019 according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife.
The country suffered the biggest decline in international arrivals between April and July due to travel restrictions introduced in most countries around the world. Nonetheless, Kenya has recorded steady growth in international visitors since August when international flights resumed.
In the period under review, 35% of international visitors into Kenya were business travellers while only 20% of the visitors were here on holiday. Another 35% were visiting friends and family.
Kenya relies heavily on international holidaymakers and the big drop in international tourists has significantly affected the tourism industry. The industry suffered KSh 37 billion loss of revenue in the first 10 months of 2020 according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The top 5 sources of international visitors were Uganda (60,399), US (53444), Tanzania(43,649), UK (42341), and India (25,251).
