Kenya is planning to diversify its tourist offering beyond traditional safari and beach stays thanks to its new federal constitution.
Danzon Mwazo, who took over as Minister of Tourism earlier this year, told Travel Weekly he plans to use the new 47-county structure, which comes into effect on March 4, to encourage tourists to see what the rest of the country has to offer.
He said: “We want to spread tourism in Kenya to every corner. Right now it’s concentrated in a few places – the coast and the parks – but if everyone can reach tourism money, it can create wealth and employment across Kenya, and that is what I want to achieve.”
This will include sports and eco-tourism, the country’s tea and coffee-growing regions, plus a renewed focus on Kenya’s cultural diversity and its 50-strong variety of game reserves. The minister has also set a target for each county to provide 100 homestay opportunities.
The UK remains the largest single international market, despite a 2.5% drop in visitor numbers this year following security concerns over terrorist attacks. But the minister offered reassurance that new legislation strengthening anti-terrorist powers, reforms of the police force and Kenyan intervention in neighbouring Somalia would combat these problems.
He added: “We have beefed up security all around the tourist destinations; we have increased surveillance in and around the tourist locations. Kenya is safer than it was three or four years ago.”
Mr Mwazo was joined on the stand by World Travel Market chairman Fiona Jeffery to offer water bottles for sale, with proceeds going to water charity Just a Drop.