Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary (CS) Rebecca Miano has expressed confidence that her ministry will achieve a target of three million tourists by the end of the year.
Miano, who spoke at Maasai Mara National Reserve on Saturday, noted that already tourists have started flocking the country as all hotels and camps at the Mara were fully booked.
Going forward, she said, the Ministry, in collaboration with county governments, will strategise to diversify what the country has to offer, saying for a long time, Kenya has sold only her fauna and beaches as tourism attraction sites.
“There are many other things that we can offer because Kenya is endowed with many natural resources that can attract tourists, like agritourism, medical, cultural, and many others,” she observed.
She committed to working with all stakeholders, including the county governments, to grow the tourism industry for the benefit of the local communities and the satisfaction of tourists.
“We are on course to surpass the three million target. This is a big achievement for the communities and the country at large,” she added.
The CS reiterated the need to bring athletes on board to market the country, saying the performance at the just concluded Paris Olympic games was amazing and attracted world attention.
“We got 50 per cent of all the gold medals that went to Africa, and we were number two after the USA. Being the best in Africa, we want to promote and showcase our abilities; hence, we will put in a deliberate strategy to promote Kenya as a home of athletics,” Miano said.
The CS was accompanied by Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu, who underscored the need for the county and national governments to work in unison to promote tourism and wildlife in the country.
Ntutu observed that this year, the number of wildebeest migrating from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Mara had increased from one million to three million, making the spectacular phenomenon memorable.
“This year, we have had enough rain for the animals; hence, the animals became very healthy and grew in numbers. Since I was born, I have not seen such a huge number of wildebeest crossing the Mara like this year,” observed governor Ntutu.
By Ann Salaton
