East African Affairs, Tourism and Commerce Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie has said the Government is looking for new tourism markets after travel advisories from western nations threatened to cripple the sector.
Speaking in Poror Primary School in Koibatek, Baringo County, Kandie said the country is targeting more than 3 million tourists by 2017, saying the recent advisories against Kenya by some countries were uncalled for and that the country was secure.
“The reason why Kenyan tourism has suffered is due to over-reliance on the traditional tourism markets such as Europe and the US, that is why we are diversifying to new markets such as India, China, Asia and Middle East as a recovery plan,” said Ms Kandie.
She said the ministry has formed a task force to look into new ways of improving tourism that will be reporting to the President every month until the sector is back on its feet.
She said that the UK’s closure of its Honorary Consulate in Mombasa citing insecurity was uncalled for, as terrorism is not a Kenyan problem but an international one. “Before issuing advisories, these countries ought to be sensitive. Kenya is safe and should not be viewed as insecure since terrorism is a worldwide thing,” said Kandie.
The CS said the Government is also working on improving the tourism infrastructure, taming poaching and marketing to attract more tourists to the country.
Kandie said the ministry has identified investors that have expressed interest in investing in Cable Cars in Kerio Valley between Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo County as a new tourism product due to its attractive hilly terrain.
On commerce, Kandie called on the youth and women to take up the Youth and Women Enterprise Fund and cast their nets within the East Africa region as a business venture.
“Youth and women should take up the loans from Government whose interest is as little as three per cent. We want to expose our youth and women to business opportunities within the region to avoid localisation,” said Kandie.
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