Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife says it will review proposals from stakeholders across the tourism sector in preparation for major policy pronouncements by President William Ruto during Friday’s Jamhuri Day celebrations.
Speaking on the second day of the Kenya Tourism, Wildlife and MICE Week showcase held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), CS Rebecca Miano said that stakeholder input will be critical in shaping the future direction of Kenya’s tourism industry.
“As we chart the future of the tourism sector, I want to urge all stakeholders to bring forward your proposals and recommendations so that we can deliberate on how we shall move this sector forward,” Miano told the stakeholders.
“These submissions will be a very critical component of the comprehensive framework that we are developing even as we prepare for the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Friday where President William Ruto will make major policy pronouncements to enhance the transformation of the tourism sector,” she added.
Earlier in the day, panel discussions were held bringing together various industry leaders, government officials, county representatives and private sector players, with the second day’s agenda focused on Tourism. Stakeholders sought ways on how to improve the sector, with the objective of meeting the collective target of 5.5 million tourists by 2027.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO, June Chepkemei, noted that innovation remains a key focus area in marketing Kenya as a leading tourism destination.
“As a sector, we find ourselves competing for the same pool of country resources against other more important sectors, like health, education and infrastructure. Hence, we need to keep innovating in order to make the most of the resources allocated to us in order to market and maintain Kenya as a leading tourism destination,” she stated.
“Through campaigns such as Tembea Kenya for the domestic traveler and Magical Kenya for the international tourist and the recent Magical Kenya Mountain trails, we keep innovating around our products. We’ll be launching new campaigns at the end of this week, to keep our momentum going,” Chepkemei added.
Another key discussion was on the development of the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector where stakeholders called for more investment in infrastructure and enhanced capacity development as the country seeks to enhance its MICE competitiveness in the region and position itself as Africa’s premier MICE hub.
Conversations on enhancing destination competitiveness also took center stage, with participants exploring strategies to improve Kenya’s global tourism ranking through improved air connectivity and modernized facilities.
Other sessions tackled tourism governance and regulatory reforms and unlocking capital for tourism transformation, with stakeholders highlighting the need for innovative financing mechanisms and investment incentives to drive sector growth.
The Kenya Tourism, Wildlife and MICE Week continues till Thursday before culminating in the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Friday at the Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi. The week-long showcase involves an array of tourism-related activities aimed at establishing Kenya’s tourism sector as a cornerstone of economic growth.
