afrol News, 14 January - It is evident that Kenya's unrest over the disputed presidential elections has taken a great toll on the country's tourism sector, a major foreign exchange earner. And according to the Kenya Association of Tour Operators, Kenya has already lost US $78 million tourism revenue mainly due to the bloody political dispute.

Tour operators warned that the country stands to incur a loss of US $312 by March if the unrest stalls.

At a news conference in the capital Nairobi on Saturday, the tour operators Chairman, Duncan Muriuki, explained how the unrest has directly and indirectly harmed all players in the tourism industry in Kenya.

The unrest also rendered more than 20,000 people without jobs in the tourism sector, one of the economic engines of the East African country.

Besides, Kenya Tourism Board and the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers asked travel agencies to give proper advice to tourists before they visit the country.

Both bodies threw a challenge to the tourism advisory group to launch a fact-finding mission to the country. They said all the tourist circuits in Kenya are safe.

Following the post-electoral violence, many western countries have issued travel advice to their citizens. This resulted to mass cancellation of booked holiday flights to Kenya, as most tourists and airlines shunned the troubled country.

Kenya - a country endowed with huge tourist attraction - has almost become a no-go area for tourist.

Economic experts said it would take Kenya ten years to normalise its tourism sector.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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