Kenya gives boost to tourism.

The Kenyan government has never been more serious about wooing foreign tourists than it is at present.

The ministry of tourism has allocated KSh1 billion to marketing the east African country as the ideal tourist destination in Africa and the world, over its main African competitors South Africa and Egypt.

The latest marketing strategy follows an advertising campaign on Cable News Network (CNN) early this year to mitigate the negative impact of the post-election violence on the tourism sector, which is the country’s second foreign exchange earner after tea and coffee.

Since then, Kenyan athletes have also played a big role in promoting the country internationally by taking part in competitions and winning cash and medals. The best of the lot are the athletes who represented the country at the August Beijing Olympics, where they scooped five gold, five bronze and four bronze medals.

Pamela Jelimo, Olympic 800 m gold medallist, achieved further glory in September by winning the $1 million jackpot in the Golden League.