US and UK Top List of Travelers to Kenya Since Resumption of International Flights

Kenya has recorded 14,049 international arrivals since August 1st when the country reopened its airspace for international flights.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said a bulk of the passengers arrived through the country’s main airport—Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

A total of 13,249 travelers entered the country via JKIA followed by Moi International Airport in Mombasa (645), Wilson Airport (154), and Wajir Airport (1).

The United States topped the list of arrivals to Kenya with 2,768 passengers, followed by the United Kingdom (2,469), and neighboring Uganda (506).

“The data released today is invaluable to the country as it helps us to keep track of international tourist numbers to determine whether tourism and travel is improving since the easing of travel restrictions and the resumption of international flights into the country," CS Balala said on Friday.

6,368 out of the 14,049 arrivals came to Kenya to visit family or friends, 3,685 for holiday, 2,325 for business, 1,129 in transit, 221 for education, 194 for medical, 72 for religious purposes, 47 for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition (MICE), and 8 for sports.

Balala said the ministry is keeping track of the number of international tourists through flight tracking to establish whether tourism and travel is improving in the wake of the Covid-19 interruption.

"It will be done on a monthly basis going forward to gauge our progress in the tourism and travel industry,” he said.

To travel to Kenya, one is only required to produce a PCR Covid-19 negative test, which must have been conducted within 96 hours of arrival.

Travelers with a PCR Covid-19 negative test are exempted from mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Kenya from 131 countries cleared by the government.

Last month, Kenya became the first country in the world to be awarded the recommended status of the "Safer Tourism Seal" by the Rebuilding Travel—a global pro-tourism industry group composed of tourism boards, ministers of tourism, professional associations, industry stakeholders, researchers, academics and travelers.

Tourism CS Najib Balala termed the award as a testimony of Kenya’s commitment to ensuring travelers' safety in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kenya was also awarded the Safe Travel Stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in July.