Promote tourism more aggressively to grow industry

There is finally light at the end tunnel with the latest reports indicating that the number of tourists visiting the country has been rising steadily. Last week, data released by the Ministry of Tourism indicated that the sector earned the country Sh47 billion in the last six months even before the onset of the peak tourist season. This 14 per cent jump from the same period last year is encouraging. No doubt this is to a large degree as a result of a decline in terror attacks over the last two years, and an aggressive campaign mounted by stakeholders to portray the country as a safe destination for visitors.

The government wants the tourism sector to fully recover by June 2018, and this appears viable given the steps taken to shore up the number of visitors. One of the most significant was a waiver of visa fees for children under the age of 16. The government has also reduced park entry fees and exempted duty for construction material for tourism infrastructure projects. Additionally, it has raised the budget for marketing and promoting the country’s tourism destinations.