The outbreak of Coronavirus COVID-19 presents the tourism sector with a major and evolving challenge. The tourism sector is currently one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with impacts on both travel supply and demand, particularly in Kenya’s source markets.

Travel restrictions and flight cancellations/frequency reduction have significantly diminished the supply of travel services (both domestic and international) while demand continues to retract. COVID-19 has become a new downside risk in a context of an already weaker world economy.

The UNWTO estimates that in 2020 global international tourist arrivals could decline between 20-30%, down from an estimated growth of 3% to 4% forecast in early January 2020. This could translate into a loss of US$ 30 to 50 billion in spending by international visitors (international tourism receipts).