It is not clear how the attack in Nairobi will impact the country’s economic prospects, at least in the near term. However, a significant percent of Kenya’s economy relies on tourists, who travel thousands of miles to go on safari through Kenya’s Great Rift Valley and other wildlife reserves. Approximately 1.8 million tourists visited Kenya in 2011, primarily from Europe and the United States, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Tourism from China and India has also grown in recent years. Previous political instability or terrorist attacks in the country have typically negatively impacted Kenya’s travel industry. After a disputed presidential election in 2008, where 1,200 Kenyans died in ethnic clashes, tourism dropped by more than 30 percent, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. Similar drop-offs in tourism occurred following the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi. While there has been significant progress, Kenya is still considered a low-income developing economy. Roughly four out of 10 Kenyans live in poverty, according to the World Bank, mostly in the country’s rural areas.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:01:30 +0000
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