Kenya Women to host International fete

Kenyan Women in Tourism have come together to form an association to empower themselves in the sub-sector, writes  Peter Muiruri

The Kenya Association of Women in Tourism (KAWT) will play host to the 2012 Women in Tourism International Alliance (Witia) annual Educational Tour from in October this year. This will be the first time for the congress to be held in Africa.

A total of 600 local and international delegates are expected to grace the event that will run between October 20-27. Witia, an international networking organization founded in 2006, seeks to link tourism professionals, in diverse locations all over the world. Currently, Witia is represented in 30 countries and boasts a database of over 3000 tourism professionals worldwide.

Witia educational tours are designed to engage tourism professionals in the study of tourism practices in various parts of the world.? Last year, Witia members visited Costa Rica. 

Speaking in Nairobi, KAWT’s Chairperson, Ms Faith Kithu said:  “We are very excited about this opportunity of hosting the event and do Kenya proud besides empowering women in tourism.

The Witia Congress is a unique opportunity for women to showcase their products. This is also a fantastic business opportunity. We are bringing the business to the women in the region; they don’t have to travel outside to be recognized.” added Kithu.

While addressing the Witia conference launch at a Nairobi hotel recently, Tourism Secretary Dr Nelson Githinji lauded the women in tourism for the unprecedented task of extensively lobbying and winning the rights to host an international gathering within just a year of its inauguration.

“We must commend these women for achieving in a very short time a feat that normally takes forever for other established bodies.

We can no longer afford to ignore the voice of women,” said Dr. Githinji. Another competent bid to host the event came from the South Island of New Zealand.

According to Kithu, Kenya’s diversified and affordable tourism product coupled with the support from the Kenya Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism  helped with the bid.

“As the first Witia visit to the African continent this is a great honour for Kenya. We call upon our partners and sponsors in the tourism industry to support us in cash and kind so as to make this congress a great success,” she said.

Speakers at the event reiterated the significance of holding this event at this particular time when preparations for one of the country’s biggest general elections will be in top gear.

Said Kithu: “The decision by Witia proves, yet again, that Kenya is a safe destination. We had a fantastic tourism year last year.

 The ministry announced that the number of tourists visiting Kenya in the first nine months of 2011 rose 16 per cent compared with the same period the previous year.

Tidy sums

 It was also estimated that tourism receipts for the period ending October last year closed at Sh81.96 billion as compared to Sh56.72 billion during a similar period in 2010, an increase of 44.4 per cent.”

To make the Witia visit to Kenya memorable, KAWT members have created a comprehensive itinerary that will showcase many of the country’s magical sites.

 The experience will begin in Nairobi with an opportunity for members to attend KAWT’s inaugural international expo that promises multiple learning and networking opportunities with visitors throughout the region and the world.

 The delegates will then proceed to the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve with an opportunity to experience the experience the world’s only wildebeest migration. They will also get to sample the lifestyle of the renowned Maasai people through visits to their manyattas.

 According to information posted on KAWT’s website, the journey continues within the Rift Valley as they get to sample the beauty of the many azure lakes, hot springs and craters that dot the region.

The Witia experience will culminate in a farewell gala dinner at the Nairobi National Park. The delegates will also take part in a tree planting exercise in honour of the late environmentalist, Professor Wangari Mathai.

The Kenya Association of Women in Tourism, whose board members are all women, has the primary mandate of providing a platform for women’s empowerment through engagement, employment and participation in the tourism industry. 

With a strong advocacy network, KAWT aims to bring the gender aspects of tourism to the attention of policy makers, more so the issues pertaining to women’s employment in the tourism industry as well as their participation in tourism planning, management and development. ?