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Kenya is expecting big drop in
tourism
By Bloomberg News and The Seattle Times
10. Feb. 2008
Tourist arrivals in Kenya will probably slump more than 90 percent
in the first quarter due to postelection violence, the Kenya
Tourism Board said.
The number of visitors to the East African nation is likely to
decline to 27,000 in the three months through March, compared with
a previous forecast of 314,995, the tourism board said Wednesday.
Kenya, East Africa's biggest economy, had 2 million visitors in
2007, mostly from Europe and the U.S. The tourism industry is
crucial to the economy, generating 11 percent of the country's
foreign exchange and employing many in rural areas.
In Kenya, more than 1,000 people have died and 300,000 have been
forced to flee their homes in violence following the Dec. 27
election. President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected, but, Raila Odinga,
the opposition leader, and some observers say the vote was rigged.
Empty hotels, parks
Washington tourist Lois Proctor returned in late January from a
vacation in Kenya. The Kenmore resident debated whether to go,
given the violence, but was confident in the tour leader who had
arranged the 15-day safari to Kenya's game-rich parks and reserves.
"We visited six different places, all far from the 'hot spots.' Of
the six beautiful lodges where we stayed, we were the only guests
in three of them, and had only a few fellow travelers at the other
three," Proctor said via e-mail.
"It was so sad to have these lovely places practically empty,
putting owners at financial risk and those who worked there either
making partial wages or laid off ... " Proctor said she was glad
she went and encouraged others to visit Kenya, provided they're
confident in their travel company.
The U.S. State Department (www.travel.state.gov) has urged caution,
and recommends against travel to western Kenya.
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