Revenue from tourism in Kenya jumped nearly a third in 2023 year-on-year, with the East African country planning to welcome over 2.4 million tourists this year.

Tourism receipts in Kenya rose by nearly a third in 2023 over the previous year beating the pre-pandemic numbers.

According to the Kenya Tourism Ministry data, revenue rose 31.5 pc last year to hit KES 352.5 billion (nearly USD 2.7 billion).

The ministry says that it hopes to welcome 2.4 million tourists this year, about 20 pc more than the number of visitors in 2023.

Kenya has been a major tourist destination in East Africa, traditionally attracting visitors from across the world to its wildlife parks and Indian Ocean beaches. But per capita spending in dollar terms by the 1.95 million visitors fell.

“Despite the increase in the number of visitors in 2023 as compared to 2022, the average per capita expenditure in US dollars decreased significantly. This is partly attributed to the sustained depreciation of the Kenya Shilling against the major currencies,” says the report.

The ministry says that before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism brought in about USD 2.24 billion in 2019 from two million visitors, or about 10 pc of GDP.

The statement adds that in January, Kenya’s immigration services said the first batch of foreign tourists had arrived under a simplified ‘visa-free’ entry system it hoped would encourage more visitors.