Kenya: 83% increase in tourism revenues in 2022

Tourism-related revenues increased by 83% in Kenya in 2022 compared to 2021, but did not reach pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels, the tourism minister said on Wednesday.

Kenya, the economic engine of East Africa, is a major tourist destination on the continent, thanks in particular to its wildlife.

"Revenues (linked to tourism, editor's note) reached 268.09 billion Kenyan shillings (about 2 billion euros) against 146.51 billion shillings in 2021, representing a growth of 83%", welcomed during a press conference in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Peninah Malonza, Minister of Tourism.

In 2022, some 1.5 million tourists visited Kenya, visits up 70% from 2021, but still not reaching pre-pandemic levels, despite the gradual lifting of restrictions. In 2019, around 2 million tourists visited the East African country.

American tourists were the most numerous in 2022, accounting for 16% of arrivals, ahead of those from Uganda ( 12%), the United Kingdom (10%), and Tanzania (10%).

The authorities had declared last May that tourism contributed, before Covid, to the GDP up to 10%.