A record number tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of 2011,continuing a solid recovery after the country was hit by post-election violence in 2008 and the lingering effects of the global financial crisis. Arrivals to east Africa's biggest economy rose to 549,083,up 13.6 per cent from the same period last year. Tourism earned a record 74 billion shillings ($802 million) in the whole of 2010,making it one of the country's leading sources of foreign exchange. Minister for Tourism Najib Balala told a news conference on Wednesday that estimated revenues for the first six months stood at 40.5 billion shillings,up 32 per cent from 30.7 billion in the same period last year. He said the ministry was expecting 20 per cent growth in arrivals for the year as a whole. In 2010,a record 1.1 million tourists visited the country,which is famed for its game parks and white Indian Ocean beaches,beating the previous high hit in 2007. The Ministry of Tourism said visitors from Britain led the way accounting for 14.3 per cent of arrivals,followed by the United States on 9.3 per cent and then Italy,Germany and India,with the Asian country knocking France out of the top five. Kenya has been trying to diversify from its traditional American and European source markets,expand its airports and increase bed capacity to boost hard currency earnings from the sector. The ministry said China,Uganda and Russia all witnessed strong growth in terms of being source markets in the first half of the year.
