Kenya's tourism booms

(Africanmoose)

Tourism in Kenya is booming, according to figures released by the Kenyan Tourist board this week.

Arrivals in the first half of the year grew a reported 20.5 percent to a record 403,996 visitors, beating the previous record set in 2007.

Kenyan Tourism Authorities have now upped their yearly predictions to 1.2 million visitors, saying that with new strategies and the global economy recovering, they "hope to maintain this upward trejectory."

Last week, Kenya earned endorsement from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, saying that it would use the recognition to aim for a chunk of the $26 billion spent on golf tourism every year.

Tourism minister Najib Balala said that international golfers would be invited to Kenya and "with proper marketing of the destination, golf tourism can add substantial amounts of tourism earnings to the country."

Kenya has 41 golf courses, more than any other African country with the exception of South Africa and tourism officials say that it enjoys the perfect climatic conditions for a game of golf all year round.

In the wake of the news, the country's flag-carrier Kenya Airways announced the opening of a new 24-hour call center to make flight booking easier for customers.

http://www.magicalkenya.com/