Grim outlook for Kenya tourism recovery
Kenyans will pay a high price for post-election violence early in 2008, with the country’s tourism industry expected not to have fully recovered by 2012 as projected.
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The effects of the violence, and the global financial crisis will cost the industry — the country’s third foreign exchange earner after tea and horticulture — its mid-term targets under Vision 2030.
“We may be close but we will not reach the targets,” said Stanbic Investments (EA) Ltd chief investment officer, Anthony Mwithiga, at a press briefing at Nairobi.
Under the Vision 2030 Mid-Term Plan (2007-2012), the industry is expected to increase international visitors from 1.8 million in 2007, which was its best year ever, to 3 million in 2012.
Over the same period, it is expected to increase average spend from Sh40,000 to Sh70,000, triple tourism earning from Sh65.4 billion to Sh200 billion in 2012.
The announcement comes at a time when industry players are optimistic about its performance this year, following improvements in 2009.
“This year is going to be challenging but not like 2009. We expect a s