Kenya Hints on Reopening Tourism Soon

As the Ministry of Tourism in Kenya continues to lay down the required travel protocols, The CS Najib Balala is optimistic to reopen the tourism industry in Kenya soon.

He has acknowledged the devastating state the industry has been since the start of COVID 19. Looking a total revenue of 1.7 billion dollars a year is quite a massive loss to the Kenyan Economy. Tourism Contributes almost 10% of the Kenyan GDP, also confirming losing of close to 1.5 million jobs.

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So far, the CS said, plans are in top gear to reopen the industry in line with the globally recommended protocols. Balala said they are awaiting approvals from the World Tourism and Travel Council.

He said the government has liaised with global partners and developed protocols which shall be rolled out once borders are opened.

“We are working with WTTC to get the stamp or certification that our protocols are compliant internationally,” the CS said.

The CS was visiting Watamu Beach, located North of Mombasa City, a prime destination for beach Vacations in Kenya, to assess the impact of COVID 19 in the region, and celebrating the World Sea Turtle Day.

The pandemic has evidently shown that tourism is not about travel but everyone in the value chain including farmers, snake parks, and all other businesses that depend on the sector for survival, he said.