The tourism industry in the country is on the path to full recovery following improved performance this year after a two-year slump occasioned by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Tourism Research Institute acting CEO David Gitonga said tremendous progress had been made and by the end of 2022, the country was at 73 percent recovery towards the best year numbers of 2019.
Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with hospitality industry players in Embu, Gitonga said by the end of June this year, the industry was at 92 percent recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
He said that given the projections, all indications were that by the end of the year, the industry should be somewhere around the 2019 figures if not beyond.
In the 2019 reference year, government data shows Kenya received 1.35 million tourists, with Gitonga saying earnings could surpass the 2019 figures by the end of the year if the industry maintains the same high growth trajectory.
He also encouraged players in the hospitality industry to embrace ecotourism as an alternative venture to the traditional bed and breakfast business as the government starts putting in place modalities on the carbon credit market.
He said the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi two weeks ago was an eye-opener of a good platform for the tourism industry to capitalize on the carbon credit markets as it also conserves the environment.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Head of Corporate Communications Wausi Walia said tourism must continue being viewed as an economic activity geared towards improving the livelihoods of the community.
She said the private sector was one of those key platforms that provide the infrastructure for tourism to thrive.
“They own the hotels, aircraft, restaurants, bars, and every other infrastructure that grows tourism and as such it is important to interact and give them information that is helpful in making their business easier,” she said.
She said KTB is committed to anchoring them in terms of marketing their tourism products, adding that other agencies were also at hand to assist them in terms of regulation, research, and training.
She challenged the County of Embu which will be hosting this year’s UN-World Tourism Day Celebrations on Thursday, September 27, to position itself as a tourism destination of choice for domestic international tourists owing to its variety of nature and adventure attraction sites.
“Embu is very close to Nairobi with good road infrastructure and could be positioned in a way that it rivals Nairobi, Machakos, and Naivasha,” she said.
Embu Trade and Tourism Chief Officer Kisilu Benjamin said they will endeavor to provide a conducive environment for players in the industry to thrive and grab available opportunities.
Kenya Tourism Federation official Susan Ongalo said there was a need for all private sector players under the umbrella of Kenya Tourism Federations to speak in one voice to improve the ease of doing business and grow the sector in the country.
By Samuel Waititu
