Kenya targets vaccinated tourists

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Kenya is targeting tourists from countries with high vaccination levels in a bid to revive the tourism sector that was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xinhua quoted tourism cabinet secretary Najib Balala as saying that it wants tourists from China, the United States and Britain to visit the East African country.

"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," he said.

At least 305,635 tourists visited Kenya in the first half of 2021, according to the state-owned Tourism Research Institute.

Balala said Kenya is also pushing for the vaccination of the local population to attract international visitors.

The country is targeting to vaccinate over 20 million people by the end of the year.

"We project that the tourism sector will return to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2024," he said.