The anti-IEBC protests staged every Monday by the opposition have already started affecting the tourism sector.
Tourism stakeholders, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) said the sector has suffered a number of cancellations with tourists fearing for their personal security. However, the association did not reveal the exact number of cancellations.
A senior manager at KAHC, Mike Macharia, said images of violent protests found their way into the international media, painting a scary picture of the country.
Even worse, according to Macharia, were the failed bookings which are hurting the industry. The sector which shed about 30,000 jobs last year is still recovering from a series of travel advisories by western governments to their citizens.
The Kenya Tourism Federation (KFT) Chairperson Lucy Karume said tourism is a sensitive sector that depends on assurances of personal security in order to thrive. She advised those aggrieved with the electoral body to take into account the welfare and rights of the tourism players.
Tourism’s woes continued into last year with the number of visitors coming into the country dwindling. “Visitor statistics indicate that the coast region was the hit hard, having suffered a decline of 76 per cent in tourist arrivals in 2015 (75,982) as compared to 2005 (278,021) which was a very good year,” Karume said.
On Wednesday, Treasury CS Henry Rotich allocated Sh4.5 billion to the tourism sector in a Sh2.3 trillion budget that saw the sector bag other goodies. In addition, the CS showered the sector with tax incentives including waiving of Value Added Tax (VAT) on park fees, tour operator services, hotel employee service tips. He also created a special market fund in a bid to bring the sector back to its glorious days when it used to be the leading foreign exchange earner for the country.
However, tourism players expressed fear that all this might be washed away by the political storm that currently sweeping over the country.
“We urge our esteemed leaders to allow the tourism sector to recover in a conducive atmosphere, both now and in the run-up to the General Elections,” said Karume.
The stakeholders, however, were happy with the Government interventions meant to spur the sector growth.
