Against all odds Kenya has consolidated its position as a premier tourist destination in the world by winning the Best Leisure Destination Award at the World Travel Fair (WTF) in Shanghai, China.

Despite the sector being hard-hit since the beginning of the year, the country is slowly gaining its footing on the international scene.

Receiving the award, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Rebecca Nabutola, said “The award goes to testify tha，t Kenya has a unique world acclaimed tourism product. The recognition will no doubt boost Kenya’s tourism and enhance its profile as a leading tourist destination.”

Ms Nabutola led a delegation of Kenya Tourism Board officials on a confidence building campaign to China at the end of last month and the efforts have paid off. 

Apart from participating in the World Travel Fair, the team hosted media and travel agent forums in the cities of Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

China is one of the fastest growing tourism markets for outbound tourism and Kenya is interested in expanding into this market by diversifying the market portfolio.

As predicted by the World Travel & Tourism Council, China will become the third-biggest economy in the world for travel and tourism over the next ten years and it is the second fastest growing country on tourism demand.

This is mainly caused by the fact that the total number of Approved Destination Status (ADS) countries in June 2006, was standing at 124, as opposed to 42 in 2004.

Last year, the number of tourist from China increased by 27 per cent compared to 2006. 

China’s outbound tourism market is expected to reach the 50 million mark by 2010.