Double Digit Growth for U.S. Travel to Kenya in 2011

23 February 2012
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Los Angeles, CA - The Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) announced yesterday its impressive inbound tourism statistics for 2011. Last year, a total of 119,615 US travelers visited Kenya, a 10.9% increase from 2010, doubling its growth rate from 5.9% in 2009. These figures exceeded KTB's 5% standard expected increase per year and continues the United States' position as the second largest inbound tourist market to Kenya after the UK.

The total number of inbound air and sea travelers to Kenya in 2011 reached 1,265,136, an impressive 15.4% increase from 2010. Additionally, Kenya received 520,246 cross-border arrivals over the same period. By the close of 2011, more than 87% of source markets recovered fully and surpassed 2010 levels. This number also surpassed the predicted 1.2 million visitors to the country.

Top 5 Tourist Arrivals to Kenya 2011:

1. The United Kingdom: 203,290
2. United States: 119,615
3. Italy: 96,360
4. Germany: 68,737
5. India: 58,986

Estimated tourism receipts in 2011 closed at Kshs 97.9 Billion (USD approximately $1.2 Billion). This showed a significant increase of 32.9% compared to the Kshs 73.7 Billion from 2010 (USD approximately $890 Million).

Leisure travel was the main purpose for travel into Kenya in 2011, registering 71.3% of all arrivals. The majority of US travelers, 67%, reported leisure as their main purpose for travel to Kenya in 2011, while an additional 15% traveled to visit friends and relatives.

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