State upbeat tourism industry on recovery after three-year slump

Visitors aboard a cruise liner, MS Seven Seas Voyager, docked at Mombasa port and are received by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala. The CS expects the industry to fully recover in 2018.

Kenya's tourism industry is on the final stretch towards recovery, providing hope for thousands of households affected by a three-year slump.

According to industry stakeholders, recent efforts to pull Kenya's industry out of a slump occasioned by increased insecurity-related woes and travel advisories from key western markets are paying off, with full recovery expected in less than two years.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has now said the Government will accelerate recovery efforts through aggressive marketing, offering incentives to investors and dealing directly with governors to develop tourism attractions in counties.

"We will engage the county governments of Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa to identify viable and sustainable ways on beach management initiatives since beach tourism is the leading attraction in the Kenyan coast," he said.

According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, (KNBS) visitors to Kenya's coast in 2014 stood at 2.5 million, a 22 per cent drop from the the 3.2 million visitors recorded in 2010.

The industry, however, recorded a lower deceleration rate over the third quarter of 2015 with accommodation and food services sectors shrinking by 0.8 per cent, a 95 per cent improvement from negative 19.3 per cent drop recorded in the same quarter of 2014.

Tourism arrivals to the country, however, registered mixed performance with the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) registering a 2.8 per cent increase in passenger traffic, while arrivals at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa (MIA) declined by a massive 39.1 per cent. Hotel occupancy further declined by 1.9 per cent.

According to Susan Ongaro, acting CEO of the Kenya Tourism Federation, the improved results indicate recovery efforts proposed by the Tourism Recovery Task Force formed in 2014 was bearing fruit.

"Several things have been happening behind the scenes and the tourism recovery team has been working on the recommendations of the report, so half the work is done," she said.

Ms Ongaro further stated that a full recovery by 2018 is tenable if the rest of the tourism recovery strategy is fully implemented.

Tourism stakeholders had however asked the Government to re-consider taxes levied on the industry as part of incentives to facilitate a full recovery.

"We understand that Treasury has to raise revenue and we are still in conversation with the government to effect some of the tax incentives suggested," she said.

"However, the reduction of park fees, waiver on visa fees for persons under 16 years and the incentives on charter planes are all victories from this dialogue."