Kenya's tourism industry faces 'major problem'

The tourism industry in Kenya is under immense pressure as the country has already lost an estimated 50% of the sector’s annual revenue, said Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife according to Xinhua Net.

Last year, the country’s tourism industry brought in $1.54 billion (about R26,61 billion), according to EWN.

Balala said the rest of the year looks bleak in terms of hopes for the industry’s revival. ‘The second half is almost as good as zero. So we have a major problem,’ he said. The country will only focus on domestic tourism for the rest of 2020 as international travel restrictions are expected to remain in place due to COVID-19, reports Xinhua Net.

The usually vibrant tourism sector in Kenya employs over 2 million people, many of whom have been without jobs for months now, similar to the situation in South Africa.

Local tourism as a whole but especially the safari industry in South Africa has taken a huge knock and many guides, trackers, pilots and rangers could be out of jobs soon as lockdown restrictions for leisure seems to remain unforgiving.