Tourism in Kenya is the third largest source of foreign exchange revenue, following diaspora remittances and agriculture. The Kenya Tourism Board is responsible for maintaining information about tourism in Kenya.
History
Beach tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and sports tourism are all part of the tourism sector in Kenya. During the 1990s, the number of tourists traveling to Kenya decreased, partly due to the well-publicized murders of several tourists. However, tourism in Kenya is one of the leading sources of foreign exchange (along with coffee).
Following the 2007 presidential election and the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis that followed, tourism revenues plummeted 54 percent from 2007 in the first quarter of 2008. It fell to KSh.8.08 billion/= (US$130.5 million) from KSh.17.5 billion/= in January–March 2007 and a total of 130,585 tourists arrived in Kenya compared to over 273,000 that year. Tourist income from China dropped 10.7%, compared with over 50% from traditional revenue earners in the United States and Europe. Domestic tourism improved by 45%, earning the tourist sector KSh.3.65 billion/= out of the KSh.8.08 billion/= in the period being reviewed.
Conference tourism was badly hit during the first quarter, dropping by 87.4% compared to the growth that occurred in 2007. Conference attendance also declined, with 974 people arriving in Kenya during that period while many conferences were canceled. Business travel declined by 21 percent during the period, and 35,914 travelers came into the country compared to 45,338 during the same period the year before.
Kenya won the Best Leisure Destination award at the World Travel Fair in Shanghai, China, in April 2008. The then permanent secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Tourism, Rebecca Nabutola, stated that the award "goes to testify that Kenya has a unique world-acclaimed tourism product. The recognition will no doubt boost Kenya's tourism and enhance its profile as a leading tourist destination."
Tourist numbers reached a peak of 1.8 million visitors in 2011 before decreasing due to terrorist attacks in 2013, specifically the Westgate Terror Attack, which prompted travel restrictions and advisories, including from England. International tourist arrivals for 2013 were 1.49 million. Despite tourist advisories during the election period, tourist arrivals in Kenya increased to 105862 in December from 72573 in November 2017. Kenya's tourist arrivals averaged 81987.29 from 2006 to 2017.
Statistics
In 1995, there were 34,211 hotel beds with a 44% occupancy rate. 1,036,628 visitors arrived in Kenya in 2000 and tourism receipts totaled $257 million. That year, the US government estimated the average cost of staying in Nairobi at $202 per day, compared to $94 to $144 per day in Mombasa, depending on the time of year.
In 2018, 2,025,206 tourists visited Kenya.
In 2019, the number of global visitors was 2,048,334; 1,423,971 to Nairobi,128,222 to Mombasa, and 27,447 through other airports by ground. Kenya's growth in 2019 was 1,167%. In addition to this overall growth, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport showed significant growth of 6.07% and 8.56% respectively. Najib Balala, Tourism Cabinet Secretary in Kenya, is the person credited for an African tourism achievement of $1.6 billion.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism people travel responsibly to natural areas while maintaining a high priority on the conservation of the host country's environment and the local community's lifestyles. This differs from mass tourism, which is a more organized and mainstream movement of larger numbers of people to specialized locations, or "popular destinations", such as resorts. Mass tourism is often offered in package deals where the tourist can purchase a plane ticket, hotel, activities, food, etc. from one single company. This type of tourism is usually not concerned with environmental impact or climate change and puts business and revenue as its top priority, whereas the main goal of ecotourism is to make a minimal impact on local communities while improving their state of well-being. The rise of ecotourism has annually increased by 10-15% worldwide, and 20% of that tourism accounts for travel to the global south, with a 6% increase each year in tourism specifically to third world countries. Kenya's wildlife and unique landscapes have attracted growth in ecotourism, and much of its economy is now primarily sustained by foreign revenue brought in by tourism, causing a myriad of positive and negative impacts to its culture, ecosystems, and the lifestyles of its local people.