THE Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) has reported a 96.3 per cent rise in the number of UAE visitors for the first ten months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. Between January and October 2012, there were 32,865 arrivals into Kenya from the UAE compared to 16,738 in 2011. As a result, the UAE now holds 3.2 per cent of Kenya’s market share compared to 1.6 per cent in 2011.
Speaking about the latest figures, John Chirchir, regional marketing manager at the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said, “Since establishing a representational office in Dubai, the number of visitors from the UAE has continued to register double-digit growth year on year and these recent arrival figures show UAE as the fastest growing inbound market for Kenya. The key drivers of this remarkable growth are Kenya’s safari offerings which allow visitors to really experience the country’s natural beauty as well as adventure, in addition to the diversity of Kenya’s cultures and attractions.”
A major tourist attraction has always been Kenya’s safaris and abundance of wildlife where visitors are more likely than not to encounter all of the ‘big five’, which includes lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo and rhinos, among a myriad of many hundreds of different types of fauna and birdlife species, while the country’s landscapes and natural wilderness offer visitors a prime opportunity to get close to nature for both relaxation and rejuvenation.
Chirchir adds: “In addition to general leisure travel, we are also finding more and more corporations from the UAE are choosing Kenya and our safaris as a unique and memorable destination for incentive trips, due to our easy direct and short flight access by major airlines, Kenya being a year-round destination, with visa on arrival for most nationalities and for the ease of travelling in Kenya as English is widely spoken throughout.”