TOURISM INCREASES DESPITE THE TRAVEL ALERTS

Over one million tourists have visited Kenya in 2011.because of the Al- Shabaab attacks and the economic crisis in Europe, the country has recorded 1,039,852 visitors by the end of October which is a 16% increase from the same time in 2010 where 896,228 visitors were received.

The tourism industry earnings have been Sh81.9 billion this year compared to Sh56.7 billion last year which is a 44 % increase.

There has been a good contribution to the diversification of tourism products from the traditional beach and wildlife tourism to culture, conference, sports and eco-tourism.

The increased number of flights from source markets has played a big role. The number of airlines flying to Mombasa International Airport has increased to 35 this year compared to 29 of 2010.

United Kingdom has been the top country in Africa with 15.8% arrivals by both air and sea followed by US with 9.5%, Italy with 7.5%, Germany 5.5% and India 4.7% replacing France.

Markets in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia have recorded more than 40%.UAE with 46.8%, Poland 62.9%, Russia 46.6%, Czech Republic 51.6% and Hungary 42.1%.

In Africa, Uganda has been the highest source of tourists followed by South Africa and Tanzania.

In Asia, China has been the top country.