Are the security concerns facing Kenya benefiting tourism in other parts of East Africa?

Are the security concerns facing Kenya benefiting tourism in other parts of East Africa?

Are the security concerns facing Kenya benefiting tourism in other parts of East Africa?

Many have speculated that Tanzania’s tourism industry is benefiting from the unrest and negative publicity Kenya has been experiencing. Many believe Tanzania has seized the chance to become a far safer and more secure travel destination than its neighbor. Safaris in Tanzania are gradually becoming recognized as the more secure choice when compared to safaris in Kenya.

Kenya’s economy, which depends significantly on tourism, is currently going through some very difficult times and is likely to see more hardships in the future, which would undoubtedly hurt its chances of meeting its 6% growth objective.

Kenya’s 2013 tourism statistics, which are expected to be announced soon, reportedly don’t look good at all.

Giraffes at Tsavo National Park in KenyaAccording to reports, Kenya’s tourist industry did not do well in the second half of 2013, primarily as a result of worries about security surrounding the upcoming general elections and terrorist attacks. This year has also seen a decline in performance, putting Kenya’s typically extremely profitable industry in jeopardy. According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, there was a 2.3% decrease in tourist arrivals in 2012 alone.

Kenya’s economic situation worries the international financial community, the IMF, as much as its own government does. It cautioned the government against borrowing too quickly, pointing out that doing so could destabilize the economy rather than strengthen it.

Kenya’s 2030 Vision calls for utilizing tourism as one of its main industries to move the nation into a middle-income economy in 16 years. However, the recent unrest has had a greater impact on Kenya’s tourism sector than any other.

The cancellation of travel reservations as well as foreign seminars and conferences has cost Kenya’s tourism industry millions of shillings in lost coastal revenue.

Tanzania, which is similarly talented, is receiving a large portion of the tourism business that would have gone to Kenya. This regrettable scenario has led to an increase in tourism and Tanzanian safaris.

It’s also believed that Zanzibar is partially profiting from Kenya’s predicament with regard to coastline tourism. Given that many people visiting the area on African safaris believe it to be safer than Mombasa, it is currently a major rival to Mombasa. The threat of terrorism in Kenya is not making things better.

Even if Tanzanian tourism was already growing well before Kenya’s security issues, a lot of people are curious as to whether the reasons for Tanzania’s declining tourism are not also the source of the industry’s recent upswing.



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