Kenya Hopes For Obama Tourism Boost

Kenya hopes to benefit from Barack Obama’s successful election campaign because of the ties he has to the East African nation. Following a difficult year for tourism, an industry official has confirmed that Kenya will look to ride on the back of Obama's US election victory to attract more American visitors.

Disruptions following a presidential election in January 2008 led to a decline in tourism, an industry which has been Kenya's second biggest earner in 2007. However, tourism authorities now hope that Obama's ties to Kenya will lure more tourists to the sunny beaches and renowned wildlife reserves that Kenya has to offer.

It has very positive implications for tourism. Kenya now is in the spotlight internationally. We are bound to see an increased interest in Kenya."

Grieves-Cook said that after the UK, the United States was Kenya's biggest source of tourists, but the number of visitors in the first nine months of 2008 plummeted by more than 100,000 when compared to the year before. The Kenya Tourist Board is also campaigning for the US to soften its warning to its citizens about holidays in Kenya in the light of continuing threats from terrorism and crime. Grieves-Cook added:

"For a long time, we have been the subject of a fairly strong advisory by the U.S. State Department. It's high time that the travel warning is reviewed because of the increased interest in Kenya."