KENYA'S TOURISM sector could grow by five per cent this year, the Kenya Tourist Board says, and has asked tourism establishments in the country to improve the quality of their services to make this possible.

KTB's managing director, Mrs Beatrice Buyu said in Berlin, Germany, last Sunday that the sector's contribution to the exchequer could increase by up to 10 per cent if the ongoing marketing campaign is successful.

"We are now focusing on the niche markets in addition to our traditional beach and wildlife safaris," she told journalists at the Berlin International Tourism Exchange (ITB) trade fair. "Adventure tourism and sport safaris are some of the areas we are concentrating on, but we want the tourism establishments to refurbish their buildings so that they become more competitive."

Kenya's tourism industry was adversely affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, just as it was showing signs of recovery after a slump caused by the Likoni clashes in Mombasa in 1997. However, the impact of September 11 was not as severe on Kenya as it was on destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean rim.

The number of tourist arrivals declined from 850,000 in 2000 to 750,000 last year, although revenue from the sector grew from Ksh19 billion ($243 million) to Ksh23 billion ($294 million) over the period.

Mrs Buyu said the decision by First Choice, a Europe-based conglomerate that operates charter flights, to add more charters to Kenya starting May and a plan by Thomas Cook, an international travel agent, to increase the capacity of its charters on the Nairobi-Mombasa route, were likely to increase the number of tourists visiting Kenya in coming months. 

A total of 9,875 firms from 181 countries across the globe are participating in this year's fair whose theme is "business, business, business." Kenya is represented by 42 firms – up from 39 last year – from tours and travel, hotel and airline industries.

The fair was officially opened by the Mayor of Berlin, Mr Klaus Wowereit, who was presented with a painting of Samburu's "puzzling friends" – the lioness that adopted a baby oryx – done by Ms Avni Shah, a Kenyan artist. 

Mr Wowereit said the terrorist attacks had left an indelible mark on the global tourism industry, noting that Berlin had recorded a 35 per cent downturn in the number of American tourists immediately after the attack.

"The situation is similar in other major European cities. Nevertheless, the industry is not in a crisis," he said.

Kenya's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Tourism, Mr Ali Korane, said the country's participation in such fairs helped it keep abreast of trends.

"We have been participating in exhibitions over the years and as a result we have been able to evolve strategies that have made it possible to diversify our range of products."

About 200,000 German tourists visit Kenya annually, accounting for 13 per cent of total tourist arrivals in the country. "We want to have at least 500,000 tourists from the German market, " Mr Korane said. 

Kenya's ambassador to Germany, Mr Frost Josiah, said Kenya had not tapped the tourist market in the former Eastern European countries because of logistical problems. "We have not done well in some of these countries because we have not been able to identify tour operators," he said, referring to Bulgaria and Romania.