NAIROBI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists visiting Kenya through its two main airports has registered a considerable increase in the first eight months of the year, pointing to better prospects for the sector in 2018.

At least 50,000 more tourists visited the east African nation between January and August as compared to a similar period last year, latest government economic data shows.

In the first eight months of 2018, the number of tourists who came to Kenya stood at 685,736, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released on Saturday reveals.

The figure is an increase of 50,908 tourists as compared to a similar period in 2017, where 634,828 tourists visited the country.

Kenya's main airport -- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi recorded the most arrivals, which stood at 601,394 while Moi in Mombasa had 84,342.

Analysts have attributed the surge in arrivals to political stability, aggressive marketing of the country as a tourism destination and international awards offered to players in the sector.