Kenya backs beleaguered Dubai

Kenya will continue targeting travellers from the UAE despite the furore regarding Dubai’s financial problems, according to the Kenyan Minister for Tourism, Najib Balala.

Speaking at a press conference in Dubai last week, Balala highlighted the East African country’s plans to target more tourists from GCC countries, despite acknowledging Dubai had become a focal point of the worldwide economic crisis.

Balala pointed to close economic ties between the two countries and the Kenya Tourist Board’s ‘Kenya Week’ promotion — described by the Minister as a chance to “strengthen the bones of confidence between Kenya and the UAE” — as reasons to remain positive in spite of worldwide economic concerns.

“The UAE is the top trading partners with Kenya so we’re not put off by the recent news and we sympathise with what’s happening,” said Balala. “We think this [negative news] will pass in the next year.”

“Inbound tourist figures from Dubai to Kenya have increased by 20% in the last nine months and have grown by more than 40% since 2007,” he commented.

According to the ministry’s figures, the UAE accounted for 36% of incoming tourist arrivals in 2008 — the largest single group from any country.

More than 11,000 tourists made the two and a half hours flight to Nairobi in 2008 and numbers are currently up by 22% from last year — holidays accounting for at least 50% of this figure.