Kenya’s Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala says the safety of travelers all over the world as a result of the Covid—19 Pandemic has become a priority. He is therefore optimistic that ongoing vaccination in the country will enhance the level of confidence on safe travels among visitors into Kenya.
The CS made the remarks during the official opening of this year’s Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) which kicked off on 5th to 6th October.
The annual event which was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic has attracted travel trade from about 40 countries from across the globe and is the largest tourism fair in the region. The buyers include tour operators, travel agents and DMCs from Kenya’s key tourism source markets in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas
It brings together domestic, regional and international tour operators, travel agents, destination agencies and various other players in the tourism trade to network and facilitate tourism business
Balala called on the industry players to implement the learnings of the pandemic as they market their products and experience offering to travelers. “As we move forward, we must take into consideration the fact that we now have a changed traveler, a traveler who is more health conscious and make decisions with this consideration” said CS Balala.
The CS at the same time disclosed that the ministry will soon develop a post- Civid-19 pandemic mitigation strategy to fasten the recovery of the tourism sector that has received a heavy hit from corona virus.
“To keep pace with the fast-changing needs of visitors and challenges faced by the tourism industry, the industry has to act swiftly and adjust its strategies for tourism development from time to time. “added the CS.
The Magical Kenya Travel Expo has over the years brought together different international buyers from top prioritized countries into Kenya who have seized and created opportunities in the tourism sector for a long time now
During the two-day expo, one-on-one meetings will be held on our highly efficient virtual meeting platform for both pre-scheduled meetings and speed networking sessions to reach key individuals. Participants can also get involved in thought provoking panel discussions and watch exciting on-demand videos of our destination.
The platform’s interface will have directory listings, options for meetings, choice content sessions where participants will have a variety of live sessions to choose from and will also have debates and forums from industry experts to choose from.
