Kenya is planning to target countries with high vaccination levels for driving the revival of the tourism sector that has been affected badly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Najib Balala, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said that Kenya is seeking tourists from China, the United States and Britain.

“2021 is almost ending and the crisis of quarantines and the Delta variant is complicating our efforts to revive the hospitality sector. We need foreign tourists who are fully vaccinated,” said Balala.

According to the state-owned Tourism Research Institute, 305,635 tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic jolting international travel.

Balala said that vaccination of the local population will help attract more international visitors since they would feel safer in Kenya. Balala said that more than 20 million Kenyans will receive double vaccination jabs by the end of this year so that Kenya can create a safe travel bubble with countries that have fully vaccinated their populations.

Balala said that 2022 and 2023 would be rebuilding years for Kenya’s tourism sector. “We project that the tourism sector will return to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2024,” he added.