By WAINAINA NDUNG’U
Anxiety at the Coast over the last General Election might have made tourists opt for the quieter Mt Kenya region. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the number of tourists visiting the region in the last one year had doubled.
KWS Aberdare Senior Warden Felix Mwangangi said park entry revenue had increased from Sh3.9million in February last year to Sh7.9 million in February, this year.
“Because there were political issues in the Coast last year, many tourists opted to visit game parks upcountry. This increased our revenue,” said Mr Mwangangi.
Tourism at the coast was last year hit by a combination of challenges, including terrorism.
Mwangangi said this might have spurred enthusiasm towards the traditionally low-key mountain region. He said the region’s tourism operators had also started new products, including hiking and revitalised mountaineering drawing in even more visitors.
Mwangangi said many tourists had visited the Aberdare during the Easter holiday and things were looking up for the region this year. Tourist hotel managers in the region said the visitors peaked in the first three days of the weekend.
Mwangangi said construction of five new lodges in the region would commence this June after KWS tendered opportunities to open the new establishments mostly in the Aberdare North West.
The senior warden also said the European Union had funded the upgrading of 62km of park roads in the Northern Aberdare, covering the area between Ndaragwa and Nyahururu, which will ease tourist movement and enhance game drives.
