Kenya Tourism Board has said there were no international tourists in the area following the latest terrorist attack on the country.

Gunmen attacked Mpeketoni Township, a farming community in Lamu County, later on Sunday, with 48 people believed to have been killed.

Mpeketoni is located approximately 54 kilometres south of Lamu Island by road.

The raiders are believed to have attacked a police station and various business premises in the area.

A statement from the tourism body read: “KTB is able to confirm that Mpeketoni has no international tourist facilities and is not an area frequented by international visitors.

“There were no tourists in the area at the time of the incident.”

Lamu Island, one of Kenya’s primary tourist resorts, is in no way affected by this attack and neither is any other part of the Kenya coast.

The majority of visitors travelling to Lamu arrive by air into the local airport.

Kenya covers an area of approximately 582,650 square kilometres and is frequently compared to an area the size of France.

All tourist activity continues as normal throughout the country with holiday-makers visiting the country for safari circuits and the popular coastal resorts of Diani, Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi and Lamu.

Kenya has suffered numerous militant attacks since 2011 when its forces entered neighbouring Somalia to combat al-Shabab fighters.

This is the most deadly attack in Kenya since at least 67 people were killed during a siege at Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre last September.