Kenya has been voted the World’s Leading Safari Destination at the 2017 World Travel Awards for the 3rd consecutive year.
The country’s President, termed the win as a well-deserved accolade that speaks of the country’s limitless tourism offerings and a moment of national pride for all Kenyans.
Kenya received the accolade at a grand finale gala award ceremony in Vietnam.
The World Travel Awards serve to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.
The event, which is the 24th edition in an annual series, comes at a time when Kenya’s Tourism Ministry has been working round the clock to revitalize the sector, which had performed poorly in the past half-decade. The country’s Tourism Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala has made recent moves to market the country, including making a highly publicized hike to Mount Kenya last month in a bid to promote the industry.
Last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that all Africans wishing to visit Kenya be issued with visas at various points of entry.
Meanwhile, Balala stated that Kenya’s international tourist arrivals between January and September this year have increased by more than 11%to to 655,569 visitors compared to 589,958 in 2016.
Source: Footprint to Africa