Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) has launched a grassroots initiative to boost conference tourism in the country.
Through the initiative dubbed MICE Mashinani, the country’s premier conference facility targets to create partnerships with various stakeholders in the sector across the country to grow meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
KICC Acting Chief Executive Officer Patricia Ondeng said the initiative aims at opening up rural Kenya to tourism to spur economic development.
The country, she said, was endowed with rich tourism attraction sites adding that through the programme, KICC was set to showcase to the world different venues and facilities to host meetings and conferences.
“When we go out to market Kenya as a conference destination, we also want to tell them that we don’t just have KICC in Nairobi but other venues as well,” she said.
Various towns and cities in the country, she added, have demonstrated capacity to host international meetings, adding that through MICE Mashinani, KICC plans to build their capacity to give visitors world class experience.
She pointed out Kisumu City which last year played host to the Afri-Cities conference where over 10, 000 delegates from around the world attended.
Speaking during the launch of the initiative in Kisumu, Ondeng said KICC plans to partner with hoteliers, tour companies, resorts, county governments and other stakeholders to grow the country’s conference and meetings capacity.
“We have the knowledge and technical know-how which we want to share with them to help grow the sector,” she said.
The move, she said, would have a ripple effect on other businesses and in the process stimulate economic growth.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Tourism Farida Salim said the initiative was timely adding that it will go a long way to market the lakeside city and other areas in the lake region as conference hubs.
The county government, he said, has made great strides in putting Kisumu on the world map adding that the partnership with KICC would take the programme to greater heights. We are very much on track and we believe that with this partnership we are set to go far,” she added.
Lave Victoria Tourism Association Chairman Robinson Anyal said the initiative was set to unlock tourism potential for the lake region.
Investors, he said, have come up with state of the art facilities dotted across the region adding that through partnership with KICC the facilities were set to secure business. “We have very good hotels here in Kisumu. Even in small towns across the region you can’t fail to see medium size hotels,” he added.
He said the programme was a shot in the arm for the hotel industry which is still recovering from the negative effects of the Covid-19 lockdown.
By Chris Mahandara
