The digital revolution in Kenya: a strategy for access to markets in the tourist and air travel sector

Abstract

This research paper presents an analysis of the role of information communication technologies (ICTs)on market access to the Tourism and Air travel sub- sector in Kenya. It also provides an inter-country comparison in ICT penetration, between Kenya and its trade competitors in the Tourism Industry, South Africa and Tunisia. Time series data covering ten years was collected from local and international sources, namely the Kenya Bureau of Statistics data, United Nations Internet Database, World Tourist Organization Database and the International Telecommunication (lTU) Union Database. It is shown that digitally advanced tourist destinations, such as South Africa and Tunisia, have better access to the global tourism market than Kenya which is less advanced in digital technology. It is also shown that ICT development in Kenya has a significant statistical effect on Air passenger arrivals in Kenya. Since air travel is closely related to tourism, this implies that ICTs can open up the international travel market, thereby providing a strong potential for tourist market access. Finally, air passenger arrivals, which make the country more open to foreign technology transfer and stock of human capital are significant indicators in ICT development.