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Kenya has been elected to the highest decision making body of the United Nation World Tourism Organisation’s executive council.
The announcement was confirmed at the 21st UNWTO General Assembly, which is being held in Medellin, Colombia.
The appointment means that the African country will now have a leading role on the UN affiliate body responsible for the coordination of global tourism issues and programmes for two years.
The executive council is the governing body that brings together 154 member countries into a single global tourism organisation and sets and drives the agenda for the global tourism sector.
UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Rifai, has visited Kenya twice this year and has been very clear in his support and endorsement of the country as leading global tourist destination.
He said: “What brings tourists to Kenya is its irresistible tourism offers. Most visitors who taste Kenyan products will always yearn to come back.”
Kenya’s cabinet secretary for East Africa, commerce and tourism, Phyllis Kandie, said: “We are privileged to be accorded the opportunity to represent Kenya, East Africa and the African continent on the council.
“The East African Community is one of the fastest growing regional economic blocks and is also endowed with some of the most remarkable tourist attractions to be found anywhere in the world.”
Kenya and the other member states of the EAC have been actively looking at ways they can collaborate to support and drive tourism to the region.
Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda recently introduced a single visa that reduces the cost of visiting to $100 and allows multiple entries.
Kandie has announced plans to build on the single visa with a new EAC marketing board, which will market the region as a single destination.