Kenya welcomes 1st Chinese group tour travel after pandemic

Senior Kenyan officials and executives welcomed the first Chinese travel group tour after three years of pandemic-related hiatus at a ceremony in the capital, Nairobi. A China Southern Airlines flight carrying 40 Chinese group tourists arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Saturday.

Since February 6, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has resumed outbound group tours service to 20 countries, with Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand, UAE and others first in line.

The travel schedule says that the 40 Chinese tourists will visit famous Kenyan attractions such as Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park, and attractions around Naivasha and Nakuru in the following days.

Tourism is one of the major industries in Kenya and it's very important to the country's economic recovery. According to Kenyan government reports, China is Kenya's sixth largest tourism source market and the second biggest source market from Asia, contributing 5.5% of total international tourist arrivals to the country.

John Ololtuaa, principal secretary at the State Department of Tourism of Kenya said that Kenya will leverage the Chinese market to boost tourist arrivals, hastening the recovery of a sector that contributes about 7 percent to the country's GDP.

China Southern Airlines currently operates three weekly trips from Guangzhou to Nairobi, further boosting international travel among China, Kenya and other African countries.

（CGTN）