26/08/2011 | C. Martin
Kenya is set to take its tourism promotion campaign to some of the world's biggest emerging markets in a bid to attract more visitors.
The increasing popularity of Kenya holidays is reflected in the 13.6% rise in visitor arrivals during the first half of 2011.
Official figures show the east African nation welcomed a record 549,083 tourists during the six-month period, with revenues increasing by 32% to 40.5 billion Kenyan shillings.
Tourism was among the biggest foreign exchange earners last year, bringing in record revenues of 74 billion shillings as 1.1 million foreigners visited the country.
British tourists formed the biggest share of the arrivals at 14.3%, indicating that the safari holidays and beach breaks offered by Kenya continue to be a huge attraction for them.
Traditional source markets such as the US, Germany and Italy contributed significantly to Kenya's tourist numbers, but the country is starting to draw more travellers from newer markets such as India.
Kenya's tourism bosses are now planning to boost the country's appeal among a growing base of travellers and holidaymakers in India, China, Brazil and Russia.
This year, the department expects visitor arrivals to rise by a fifth compared with 2010. Kenya's peak tourist season extends from July to October.
Copyright Press Association 2011