Uganda and Tanzania continue to be major tourist sources for Kenya after the USA according to the Tourism Sector Performance Report 2019.
The country received 245,437 tourists from America last year, the highest from one country, while Uganda and Tanzania were second and third with 223,010 and 193,740 respectively.
According to international tourist arrivals data from Kenya’s department of immigration and border management captured through the personal identification secure comparison and evaluation system, (the PISCES software), Rwandan visitors to Kenya recorded the highest increase by 24.63 percent, from 34,758 visitors in 2018 to 43,321 in 2019.
Arrivals from Uganda are expected to increase further this year following the introduction of Uganda Airline’s direct flight from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa last year. Mombasa doubles as a business and holiday destination for Uganda and the new air link is a boost to both.
“The security situation remained stable in the year with sustained investments by the government in a number of campaigns to woo tourists paying off,” reads the report released last week.
It also showed more than 63.1 percent of all tourists who visited Kenya in 2019 were holidaymakers, 13.5 percent were business travelers, 10.6 percent were visiting family and friends, and 12.75 percent came to seek other services such as treatment, shopping and education.
