A World Economic Forum report has placed Kenya as the third highest ranked sub-Saharan African country in terms of its travel tourism and competitiveness.
The report (published April 5, 2017), which aims to engage leaders in the tourism industry to carry out an in-depth analysis of the travel and tourism competitiveness of 136 economies from around the world, stated that the latest edition was focused towards making the industry more sustainable.
Comparing the rankings of the 2015 and 2017 report, Kenya has leapfrogged Namibia to take third and now sits at 80th on the global table.
The report takes into account factors such as business environment, safety and security, health and ICT readiness.
Uganda has been flagged as the most improved country in the sub-Saharan region – moving up eight places to 106 in the global ranking.
Kenya is widely considered one of Africa’s most competitive tourist economies. With a range of natural attractions on offer, from the wide-spread wildlife gem that is the Masai Mara and support acts such as Lake Nakuru and Mount Kenya, it has a goldmine of opportunity for eager tourists to explore.
The report also ranked Kenya 15th in the world for Natural Resources, and 26th for Environmental Sustainability.
South Africa is currently the highest-ranked sub-Saharan Africa country in 53rd, but with no African countries breaching the world’s top 50, the report states that much is still needed to be done to improve matters. Adding that despite sustained economic growth, travel and tourism “remains mostly untapped.”
