Ebola derails Kenyan tourism prospects

By Li Lianxing (China Daily) Updated: 2014-11-13 14:11

"Chinese tourists also should take advantage of the multi-entry visa to eastern African countries to enjoy more wonders," the Kenyan minister said, referring to the East Africa Tourist Visa launched last year, which aims to promote tourism in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

But according to some tour agencies, Chinese tourists are keen on attractions in Kenya and Tanzania only as travel destinations in the other areas are yet to be developed.

Kenya experienced a decline in tourist numbers in 2013 when only 1.49 million tourists visited the country, a decline from 1.78 million in 2012, mainly due to safety concerns, especially after the West Gate Shopping Mall incident in September that year, according to the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.

Han said apart from the terrorist concerns, decreasing Chinese tourists to the country this year was also a result of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the anti-corruption campaign in China.

"Africa is a relatively new destination for Chinese tourists, so they are sensitive to what has been reported in the media. The problem is that they have a quite generalized idea on Africa and consider it as one country. But West Africa is far from us and we are leading a normal life in Kenya," Han said, adding "There is always the threat of a terrorist attack. But such incidents are really rare."

Government delegations coming to Kenya for business used to constitute a significant part of Chinese tourists, but the number of delegations has dropped by 80 percent this year due to the anti-corruption campaign in China, Han said.

"But this will not be a deterrant as Kenya is a unique destination and is being gradually discovered by more Chinese tourists. We expect a steady flow of tourists in the future," he said.

Tourism is the second-largest industry in Kenya, contributing 12 percent of its total GDP with an estimated annual revenue of more than $1 billion. Many Chinese investors still believe Kenya is an attractive and promising market and have also accelerated their investments in the country.

Li Donge, manager of the Nairobi-based Polaris Tourism Co Ltd, said: "The Ebola epidemic was something that was totally unexpected. It has affected our business badly. But for that, our business would have grown at a much larger pace than in 2013," she said.

"We had a pretty good booking record before the peak season. But all of that changed after the Ebola outsbreak. Nearly half of my bookings have been cancelled," she said.

"Although we tried to explain the reality to them, tourists remained suspicious." But she said she believes that most tourists would still list Kenya as a must-go destination.

"I haven't seen a single instance of a tourist saying that Kenya is not a country worth visiting. The landscape and experience that you get here are so different from other parts of the world and we are confident that the number of Chinese tourists will grow rapidly in the near future," she said.

To satisfy the demand from tourists, some Chinese investors are planning to build eco-friendly hotels in or around national parks.