Tourists enjoy raw coconut drinks commonly known as "madafu" in Mombasa County, Kenya, on Jan. 14, 2024. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
Kenya on Thursday said that its international tourist arrivals hit 1.75 million in 2023, up from 1.48 million recorded in 2022.
NAIROBI, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday said that its international tourist arrivals hit 1.75 million in 2023, up from 1.48 million recorded in 2022.
The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said revenues from the sector also increased to 333.8 billion shillings (about 2.06 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, up from 1.66 billion dollars in 2022.
"We commit to increase the international tourist arrivals by 825,000 annually," the ministry said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
According to the official statistics, tourism is one of the leading foreign exchange earners alongside exports of horticulture, tea and diaspora remittances. The ministry noted that the bulk of tourism revenues is derived from international visitors seeking to observe the country's wildlife resources.
An elephant is seen at the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, Aug. 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
It added that the country is currently putting in place measures to ensure that endangered species such as rhinos and elephants don't become extinct. ■
