At a recent dinner held at Nairobi National Park to welcome visitors from India, Kenya Tourism Board CEO Dr Betty Radier said the Indian market would continue to play a significant role in the recovery of Kenya’s bustling tourism sector, and that the nation would continue to market themselves in India as she was optimistic of further recovery by the end of the year.

The tourism arrival numbers in Kenya from January to April this year were up 55% compared with the same numbers last year. There were 22 532 arrivals, compared with 11 884 during the same time in 2021.

"We are seeing a lot of interest from the Indian market and we want this to continue. This is the reason we have employed a strategy specific to this market which is slowly evolving to be a key source market for Kenya,” said Radier.

The visitors were the second group from an incentive-based travel group from Reliance Industries, an Indian multinational conglomerate in Mumbai. The first group of around 150 people arrived in the country three days before.

"The interest here is a combination of business and leisure, and magical Kenya has a lot to offer,” Radier continued. “Through the groups, we will showcase the destination’s preparedness against COVID-19 as they sample the best from the destination.”Top of Form

India remains one of the top markets

According to data from the Tourism Research Institute, last year, Kenya received 870 465 tourists, up from 567 848 in 2020. The US was the top source market, while India featured in the top five.

In 2021, Kenya received 42 159 tourists from India, while the US remained its top source market with 136 981 arrivals.