Kenya seeks association of easyJet and Ryanair for tourism promotion

Kenya to have discussions with economy airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet to begin flying to the East African nation famous for its beaches and safaris.

Tourism is one of the country’s highest revenue earners of the nation and earned around USD 1.2 billion last year, as per statistics from the Kenya Tourism Board.

“We are developing a strategy to encourage low-cost carriers from the U.K. to fly here,” said Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Kenya.

Other than beaches and safaris, Kenya is also popular for its wildlife. The authorities expect, with the arrival of low-cost flights the inbound tourist from the UK will be increased.

The U.K., a hub for both carriers, is Kenya’s biggest source of tourists so far this year after the U.S., Balala said, followed by India, China and Germany. 16 percent of the total tourist arrivals are now from other African countries.

Kenya expects visitor numbers to climb by 18 percent this year, boosted by improved security, infrastructure such as a new railway and global hotel brands expanding there. In 2017, the number of arrivals grew 10 percent to almost 1 million tourists, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.