Abstract:
The Travel and Tourism industry is a significant contributor to the economic development
of most economies in the world. The tourism sector is one of the key economic drivers
in Kenya generating 8.8% of the country’s GDP, worth USD 7.9 billion in 2018 (Standard
Media Group, 2019). This represents a growth of 5.6%, which was greater than the
global average of 3.9% and the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 3.3%. The industry
further contributes about 8.3% of the total employment, which is equivalent to 1.1 million
jobs (Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, 2018). While countries often tend to focus on
international tourism due to the revenue earned through exports, domestic tourism
remains the leading form of tourism, representing an important tool for regional
economic growth and development (WTTC, 2018). Kenya is the third
largest tourism economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria both of
which grew substantially less than Kenya in 2018 (Standard Media Group, 2019). This
impressive performance is threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted
heavily on travel and tourism worldwide.
