China could emerge as main tourist source market for Kenya post COVID-19

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China has the potential to emerge as Kenya's top tourism source market post-COVID-19, the country's tourism agency said on Thursday.

Fred Okeyo, acting director of market development of the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), told Xinhua in Nairobi that the Asian nation is currently among the top ten countries that provide tourists to Kenya.

"The Chinese travel quite a lot and the country is one of the fastest-growing outbound tourist markets globally and so the country could emerge as the leading source in the next five years," Okeyo said during the launch of a digital conference solution in Nairobi.

He said that due to the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, flights between Kenya and China are very limited due to low demand for travel between the two countries.

"We anticipate that Chinese tourism will bounce back and we are preparing adequately to be able to tap into that market again at the right time," he added.

The tourism agency said that it is currently engaging with the travel trade sector in China in order to equip them to better attract more tourists into Kenya.

"We are offering Chinese travelers motivation to come to Kenya in the form of unique natural sites and culture," he noted.

KTB said that the growing Sino-Kenya cooperation in many socio-economic sectors makes the east African nation an ideal destination for Chinese tourists.

Okeyo observed that Chinese investments in Kenya's hospitality sector are also a key factor in attracting more tourists from the Asian nation.