Geza Ulole
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Kenya tourism grew 20pc in 2017 despite poll jitters
The sector grew by 20pc from $989 million despite the long electioneering period.
Kenya's Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala and other ministry officials during the release of the 2017 tourism sector performance report in Nairobi on February 8, 2018. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
By KENNEDY KIMANTHI
More by this Author
IN SUMMARY
Strategies to revive Kenya’s tourism sector bore fruit after the country recorded a 20.3 per cent growth last year to post earnings of Ksh120 billion ($1.2 billion) despite the long electioneering period.
This is an improvement from the Ksh99.69 billion ($989 million) earned in 2016, according to Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.
Latest statistics released by the ministry show international arrivals increased by 9.8 per cent to 1.4 million from the previous year’s 1.3 million.
READ: Kenya voted world's top safari destination, again
The United States remains as Kenya’s leading market, growing by 17 per cent with 114,507 arrivals.
Road show
“We look forward to the direct Kenya Airways direct flights that start in October to boost arrivals.
"In March, the ministry will conduct a road show in US to promote the Nairobi-New York flights by the national carrier,” Mr Balala said.
READ: Kenya Airways books tickets for direct US flights
The United Kingdom was second with an 11.1 per cent share of the arrivals at 107,078 tourists. Uganda was third with a share of 6.4 per cent at 61,542 arrivals.
Other top markets were India, China, Germany, Italy and South Africa.
Mr Balala said a total of 4 million bed nights were taken up by Kenyans last year compared to 3.5 million in 2016.
“Domestic market performance is measured in terms of bed nights taken up by Kenyans touring the country. This denotes a 15.9 per cent growth,” he said.
Travel warnings issued by western governments which form the bulk of the foreign tourists arriving in the country impacted negatively on the sector with numbers dropping to 12 per cent in the first 11 months of 2015 to 690,893.
Insecurity
This was a result of increased insecurity following spate of terrorist attacks.
After the August 8 elections, Mr Balala announced the government would find ways to counter the bad publicity occasioned by the post-election protests in some parts of the country.
READ: UK warns tourists not to travel 'West of Kenya'
The minister slammed the foreign and international media for what he said was portraying the country in negative light but assured visitors and holidaymakers that the country is safe.
“The number dropped after the first elections and tourists had started cancelling bookings before the second election in October.
This year, the ministry projects there will be a 16 per cent growth in the tourism sector.
Kenya earned $1.2 billion from tourism in 2017
VS
New drive raises tourism revenue by $200m: BoT
glamtey@tz.nationmedia.com
IN SUMMARY
According to the central bank’s January economic review, tourism receipts reached $2.3 billion in the year to December 2017 compared with $2.1 billion recorded in the previous year.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s tourism revenue increased by 9.5 per cent to $2.3 billion in 2017, the latest monthly economic review of the central bank indicates.
According to the central bank’s January economic review, tourism receipts reached $2.3 billion in the year to December 2017 compared with $2.1 billion recorded in the previous year.
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) attributes the increase to the increased number of tourist arrivals which is the outcome of increased tourism promotion by the government and private sector.
However, the central bank did not indicate how many visitors exactly were received in 2017.
The growth of the revenue comes at the time when the government is intensifying measures to open up new opportunities for the sector to grow.
Tourism is currently the leading foreign exchange earner – leaving behind manufacturing, transport and other services.
The World Bank recommended three pillars in 2014 towards improving Tanzania’s tourism and probably achieve the government ambitions of collection $16 billion a year come 2025.
It suggested diversification of geographic locations and tourism segments as currently it caters to the high-value tourist who can pay several thousand dollars to see animals while in the northern circuits of around Arusha and Zanzibar.
It said diversification of the industry would include both expanding geographic options and other tourist attractions that meet the expectations of a broader range of tourists, such as beach activities, cultural as well as business tourism.
Currently, the government in partnership with the World Bank is working on opening up the potentials of the southern circuit.
Last year, the World Bank approved $150 million credit to help improving management of natural resources and tourism assets in the southern Tanzania over six years.
The project dubbed Resilient Natural Resource for Tourism and Growth (Regrow) was launched by the Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday in Iringa.
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Hamis Kigwangalla was quoted in the Parliament recently that the government planned to construct 15 airstrips in the southern circuit.
The project also seeks to implement an ambitious marketing andbranding campaign, to increase tourism-related visits to the Southern Circuit. Iringa would also be turned into the gateway town for the circuit as well as improve the country’s capacity to conserve its wildlife as a tourists-attracting agency.
The Southern Circuit includes several National Parks -Katavi, Kitulo, Mahale, Udzungwa Mountains, Mikumi and Ruaha and Game Reserves (with Selous being the largest), two rift valley lakes (Nyasa and Tanganyika), areas of cultural interest, and access to the primary gateway town of Iringa.
Regrow will promote investments inside four Protected Areas, considered to be catalytic for the consolidation of the circuit: Ruaha, Mikumi and Udzungwa Mountains National Park, and Selous Game Reserve.
The second pillar by the World Bank is about integration of tourism activities at existing attractions meaning that Tanzania’s tourism industry is not creating enough high-value, productive jobs for local workers, with an average worker making only one-third of what his or her counterpart makes in Kenya.
The third pillar is about improvement in the quality of governance. The World Bank said the tourism industry is currently constrained by the imposition of multiple taxes and levies that discourage investors, particularly small investors and increases opportunities for rent seeking and corruption. This pillar involves the implementation of a fair, business-friendly taxation system and the development of transparent redistribution mechanisms, including to local stakeholders.
New drive raises tourism revenue by $200m: BoT
The sector grew by 20pc from $989 million despite the long electioneering period.
Kenya's Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala and other ministry officials during the release of the 2017 tourism sector performance report in Nairobi on February 8, 2018. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
By KENNEDY KIMANTHI
More by this Author
IN SUMMARY
- Latest statistics released by the Ministry show international arrivals increased by 9.8 per cent to 1.4 million from the previous year’s 1.3 million.
- The United States remains as Kenya’s leading market, growing by 17 per cent with 114,507 arrivals.
- This year, the ministry projects there will be a 16 per cent growth in the tourism sector.
Strategies to revive Kenya’s tourism sector bore fruit after the country recorded a 20.3 per cent growth last year to post earnings of Ksh120 billion ($1.2 billion) despite the long electioneering period.
This is an improvement from the Ksh99.69 billion ($989 million) earned in 2016, according to Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.
Latest statistics released by the ministry show international arrivals increased by 9.8 per cent to 1.4 million from the previous year’s 1.3 million.
READ: Kenya voted world's top safari destination, again
The United States remains as Kenya’s leading market, growing by 17 per cent with 114,507 arrivals.
Road show
“We look forward to the direct Kenya Airways direct flights that start in October to boost arrivals.
"In March, the ministry will conduct a road show in US to promote the Nairobi-New York flights by the national carrier,” Mr Balala said.
READ: Kenya Airways books tickets for direct US flights
The United Kingdom was second with an 11.1 per cent share of the arrivals at 107,078 tourists. Uganda was third with a share of 6.4 per cent at 61,542 arrivals.
Other top markets were India, China, Germany, Italy and South Africa.
Mr Balala said a total of 4 million bed nights were taken up by Kenyans last year compared to 3.5 million in 2016.
“Domestic market performance is measured in terms of bed nights taken up by Kenyans touring the country. This denotes a 15.9 per cent growth,” he said.
Travel warnings issued by western governments which form the bulk of the foreign tourists arriving in the country impacted negatively on the sector with numbers dropping to 12 per cent in the first 11 months of 2015 to 690,893.
Insecurity
This was a result of increased insecurity following spate of terrorist attacks.
After the August 8 elections, Mr Balala announced the government would find ways to counter the bad publicity occasioned by the post-election protests in some parts of the country.
READ: UK warns tourists not to travel 'West of Kenya'
The minister slammed the foreign and international media for what he said was portraying the country in negative light but assured visitors and holidaymakers that the country is safe.
“The number dropped after the first elections and tourists had started cancelling bookings before the second election in October.
This year, the ministry projects there will be a 16 per cent growth in the tourism sector.
Kenya earned $1.2 billion from tourism in 2017
VS
New drive raises tourism revenue by $200m: BoT
glamtey@tz.nationmedia.com
IN SUMMARY
According to the central bank’s January economic review, tourism receipts reached $2.3 billion in the year to December 2017 compared with $2.1 billion recorded in the previous year.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s tourism revenue increased by 9.5 per cent to $2.3 billion in 2017, the latest monthly economic review of the central bank indicates.
According to the central bank’s January economic review, tourism receipts reached $2.3 billion in the year to December 2017 compared with $2.1 billion recorded in the previous year.
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) attributes the increase to the increased number of tourist arrivals which is the outcome of increased tourism promotion by the government and private sector.
However, the central bank did not indicate how many visitors exactly were received in 2017.
The growth of the revenue comes at the time when the government is intensifying measures to open up new opportunities for the sector to grow.
Tourism is currently the leading foreign exchange earner – leaving behind manufacturing, transport and other services.
The World Bank recommended three pillars in 2014 towards improving Tanzania’s tourism and probably achieve the government ambitions of collection $16 billion a year come 2025.
It suggested diversification of geographic locations and tourism segments as currently it caters to the high-value tourist who can pay several thousand dollars to see animals while in the northern circuits of around Arusha and Zanzibar.
It said diversification of the industry would include both expanding geographic options and other tourist attractions that meet the expectations of a broader range of tourists, such as beach activities, cultural as well as business tourism.
Currently, the government in partnership with the World Bank is working on opening up the potentials of the southern circuit.
Last year, the World Bank approved $150 million credit to help improving management of natural resources and tourism assets in the southern Tanzania over six years.
The project dubbed Resilient Natural Resource for Tourism and Growth (Regrow) was launched by the Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday in Iringa.
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Hamis Kigwangalla was quoted in the Parliament recently that the government planned to construct 15 airstrips in the southern circuit.
The project also seeks to implement an ambitious marketing andbranding campaign, to increase tourism-related visits to the Southern Circuit. Iringa would also be turned into the gateway town for the circuit as well as improve the country’s capacity to conserve its wildlife as a tourists-attracting agency.
The Southern Circuit includes several National Parks -Katavi, Kitulo, Mahale, Udzungwa Mountains, Mikumi and Ruaha and Game Reserves (with Selous being the largest), two rift valley lakes (Nyasa and Tanganyika), areas of cultural interest, and access to the primary gateway town of Iringa.
Regrow will promote investments inside four Protected Areas, considered to be catalytic for the consolidation of the circuit: Ruaha, Mikumi and Udzungwa Mountains National Park, and Selous Game Reserve.
The second pillar by the World Bank is about integration of tourism activities at existing attractions meaning that Tanzania’s tourism industry is not creating enough high-value, productive jobs for local workers, with an average worker making only one-third of what his or her counterpart makes in Kenya.
The third pillar is about improvement in the quality of governance. The World Bank said the tourism industry is currently constrained by the imposition of multiple taxes and levies that discourage investors, particularly small investors and increases opportunities for rent seeking and corruption. This pillar involves the implementation of a fair, business-friendly taxation system and the development of transparent redistribution mechanisms, including to local stakeholders.
New drive raises tourism revenue by $200m: BoT