Give tourism full-fledged ministry, stakeholders say

Mombasa, Kenya: Stakeholders have stepped up calls for the Government to tackle insecurity, improve infrastructure and international marketing to arrest the recession facing Kenya’s tourism sector.

They were speaking at a forum organised by Recovery Task Force formed by East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie, which was sitting in Mombasa yesterday.

The task force, headed by Lucy Karume was in Mombasa to listen to the concerns of tourism industry players who said the Government’s stewardship of tourism is disjointed.

Bahari Dhow Villas General Manager Abdi Wario said the current ministry set-up is confusing.

“We are now facing a major crisis and President Uhuru needs to give us a fully fledged ministry merged with wildlife, which can give tourism the attention it needs,” Wario said.

UGLY SCENES

The industry players demanded that the county, which has been hard hit by violent cases of radicalism, be put under intensified police surveillance to avert ugly scenes of the type previously experienced in the region.

Heritage Group of Hotels Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Hersi, said things are not getting any better for tourism.

He said security needs to be prioritised and urged the Government to ensure the Tourist Police Unit (TPU) is made available for tourism services.

“At the moment, we do not see them in action. It’s like they do not exist and if they do, then their numbers need to be increased and their services modernised,” Hersi said.

The stakeholders also took issue with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), who they accused of overpricing park entry fees, making it “even more expensive than hotel accommodation”.

Pollmans Safaris Limited Managing Director Khalid Shapi said while hoteliers and lodge owners have reduced their prices to attract visitors, KWS has chosen to increase park entry fees, otherwise known as conservation fees.

“Let the Government pump in adequate resources to KWS to enable it carry out its mandate of protecting our wildlife. You can never carry out effective conservation by relying on park entry fees,” he said.

Mr Shapi said the large number of tour operators who used to serve Kenya have all stopped coming and already 2015 and 2016 have been lost.

“We are really facing a difficult scenario since 2017 is when the next general election will be held and we do not expect to see better times,” he said.

 

Shapi however remained optimistic that Kenya’s diverse tourism products of beach and safari remain unmatched the world over, which makes Kenya a preferred destination.

On his part, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa enumerated a raft of measures that KTB has undertaken to help county governments market their tourism products.

He said KTB is promoting counties’ participation in key international tourism trade fairs like the World Travel Market and the International Tourism Bourse by meeting half of the total participation cost.

Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu Governor Mruttu said counties that border the Indian Ocean are willing to engage in the Beach Management Programme (BMP) being spearheaded by KWS.

The BMP is meant to ensure that beaches are clean and free from characters who harass tourists, which has in the past been cited as a major reason why tourists skip beach holidays.

"There has already been close engagement with governors and they willing to support the programme," Mruttu said.

TABLE REPORT

Addressing the gathering, the task force chair said they have identified priority issues raised by the stakeholders as insecurity, poor infrastructure and the need for international marketing.

Ms Karume said the group, formed to advise the Government on how to reposition Kenya as a key tourist destination, will soon complete its mandate and hand in its report.

“We shall compile a report detailing strategies for turning around this sector,” she said.