Will Obamamania Bring Back Tourism To Kenya?

Obamamania (it felt like just yesterday that I was reveling in Cartermania) may or may not be fueling a resurgence of travel to Kenya. Long a favorite for travelers to Africa, the violence following the 2007 elections all but ground Kenya’s tourism industry into the ground, so it’s no surprise Kenyan’s are hoping that Obama’s election will help bring back visitors, even if only to the small village of Kogelo, Obama’s father’s hometown.

But, as the New York Times reports, Kogelo is likely a little too far off-the-beaten-path for the casual traveler, “It’s relatively difficult to get there. You’d have to fly to Kisumu, which is not terribly close to anything, and then you have to drive 40 miles just to see a village.” Just a village? How many villages in Africa can you go to and run into Obama’s step-grandmother and visit an Obama-centric museum all in one day?