Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced that daily flights between Nairobi and New York would begin in December.
The national carrier said the decision to add daily flights from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was motivated by an increase in forwarding bookings for the holiday season.
Kenya Airways reduced New York flights from five to three in a week in February this year due to low demand following the end of the peak season. The airline claimed that fewer travellers were using the route, which forced it to discontinue two flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport that had been added in November of the previous year.
Inside The Turbulent Recovery Of Kenya Airways
Diani Reef beach hotel managing director Bobby Kamani, a director at the Kenya Tourism Board, said, “As a result of this development by the national carrier, we are seeing the Open Sky policy being more imminent than ever.”
Sam Ikwaye, executive officer of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast branch, termed the action tremendously positive for the tourism sector.
“Any destination must be accessible to be enjoyed. The number of flights will increase business. In light of this information,” Dr Ikwaye remarked. “We remain confident that the open skies policy will more likely support and expedite our recovery efforts.
The robust demand is a favourable indicator for the tourist industry, in which the United States remains the most significant overseas source market, accounting for 16% of the country’s 870,465 arrivals last year.
Tourism is critical to the global prosperity of many economies. Tourism increases economic revenue, produces thousands of employment, builds a country’s infrastructure, and fosters a sense of cultural interchange between outsiders and natives.
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