Kenyan opposition chief Raila Odinga has pressed for lifting of travel advisories for foreign visitors, saying peace had been restored in a fresh bid to breathe new life into the battered tourism sector.

Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki last week signed a power-sharing accord, signalling an end to violence that killed at least 1500 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in two months.

"I want to confirm that with the signing of the accord... peace has come back to our country," Odinga said while holidaying in the resort city of Mombasa, one of the most hit tourist magnets.

"There is no need for anyone to fear coming to our country, therefore I make a passionate appeal to the countries that issued travel advisories to the tourists... to remove those advisories immediately," he told NTV television on Sunday.

He called on tour operators to press for additional flights into the country.

On Thursday, Kibaki urged tourists to resume travelling, saying stability had returned. Violence erupted after Odinga accused Kibaki of stealing the 27 December presidential elections.

Several European countries issued travel advisories warning their citizens against non-essential travel to Kenya, and foreign travel insurance companies have pulled coverage from the area.

The crisis has tapped into simmering resentment over land, poverty and the dominance of the Kikuyu, Kibaki's tribe, in Kenyan politics and business since independence in 1963.

It also affected the economy, mainly weakening the tourism and agriculture sectors, and tarnished the country's reputation as an island of stability in a region beset by conflicts.

Kenyan tourism officials say the country lost huge revenue, prompting many hotels to close down or slash operations, thus costing tens of thousands of jobs.

The Africa Travel and Tourism Association chief Nigel Vere Nicoll has lamented that the crisis, which destroyed Kenya's image for overseas tourists, affected the industry throughout Africa, mainly in the neighbouring states.

AFP

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