Tourism CS Najib Balala at a past function. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Businesses at the Coast have continued to reap big from the increased number of tourists flocking the region.
Tourism CS Najib Balala revealed that the number of tourists visiting from the United Kingdom is higher than those arriving from the United States of America. Balala said UK tourists have surpassed US tourists by 18 per cent from January to April this year.In December last year, the number of US visitors increased by 16.4 per cent while tourists from the UK declined by 4 per cent during the same period.Balala, who spoke on Thursday during an event to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 91st birthday, said the nation has reaped big from the strong ties it enjoys with the UK, adding that more than 34,000 visitors have already jetted into the country on holiday.“Last year, we announced that the arrival of tourists from the USA was higher than the UK, but I can assure you from January to March the UK has overtaken the USA by 18 per cent,” said Balala, as quoted by the Star.Balala also said the lifting of the travel ban advisories after measures were put in place to curb increased cases of terror attack is among the reasons for the growth in the number of visitors.“UK understood the challenges Kenya faced when terrorists hit us. Now you [UK] understand it better when they hit Manchester, and we stand by you,” he stated.He reiterated that the national government is committed to ensure the tourism sector grows.