2010 Kenya Tourism Experience
Tourism in Kenya has for many years played a vital role in the economy of the country, in competition with the Agricultural industry which was previously the highest foreign exchange earner.
Survey shows that as of 1997 the tourism industry has successfully carried the torch in single export foreign exchange earning, with a steady increase in revenue reaching to an estimated Kshs 65.4billion per annum in 2007, accounting for 12% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Tourism development in Kenya has therefore led to economic growth and poverty eradication through employment; taxes, duties, license fees and park entry fees. Its high multiplier effect stimulates growth in other economic sectors such as Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transport and Handicrafts. Tourism has also been identified as one of the key drivers in achieving the goals of the Vision 2030.
This sector has played a major role in helping preserve musical and dance traditions among some communities, prompted tourism employees to learn foreign languages, and has raised environmental awareness among people living near game reserves.
With the industry providing employment to at least 400,000 in the formal sector and over 600,000 in the informal sector, tourism is a major contributor to induced employment effects and government involvement is crucial to ensure that every person gets what is due to them and that resources are shared equitably benefiting all parties involved, that is, the investors and the surrounding communities and that’s why the Kenyan government has a policy stating that locals should receive one-quarter of the economic benefit of tourist sites, which is to be used in projects such as building and staffing schools and hospitals for local people, and ensuring that at least half of tourism industry employees come from local communities.
Kenya’s natural beauty leaves many marveled unable to comprehend the extent of beauty that God bestowed this country. The tourist attractions range from prolific wildlife found mostly in parks, tropical white sandy beaches, a geographically diverse landscape with remarkable flora, archeological sites and findings and a rich history in culture dating back as far as the evolution of man.
As a country we treat this gift as a treasure and endeavor to conserve and manage it with the best of our ability, over coming all challenges that come with the trade.
The worst to hit the tourism sector was towards the end of 2007 when country was marred by riot which rocked the entire country following a disputed national election. The subsequent travel bans that followed resulted in the drastic plummeting of the tourism revenue by a shocking 34.5%.
2008 records the worst tourism performance in recent times with the global recession doing little to help the situation as prices of vital commodities such as jet fuel sky rocketed not to mention the global financial meltdown, rise in commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations.
Today vigorous marketing strategies have been put in place to try and improve the image of the country to the world with other concerted efforts being put towards development of infrastructure.
Market research has shown that visitors are now far more discerning experienced and well traveled than ever before.
Their experience, combined with increased access to information through the Internet and global media means that they make a very informed choice when deciding on a travel destination and Kenya is keeping abreast with the rest of the world by proving that Kenya as a destination is a high quality product with a diversity of attractions that can cater to a wide range of individual needs and interests.
The country is constantly evaluating and measuring its Standards and Product Quality by keeping themselves informed of the trends in the international market whilst appreciating the global standards and value.
The ministry of tourism works very closely with each individual source market to develop a deep understanding of their consumers with marketing efforts stretching across all elements of multi-media, from print and electronic media to trade fairs, public relations initiatives and the Internet.
A vacation in the world’s safari capital today leaves you with unforgettable memories even to those who have been here before resulting from the on going improvement and development of infrastructure.
A ride to the Maasai Mara game reserve, Lake Nakuru national park, Samburu National reserve, Amboseli National park among others is no longer as rough as due to the on going rehabilitation of the road networks.
New Lodges and hotels all compliant with the international quality standards are mushrooming with the renowned business man Sir Richard Branson not being left behind in the development and is putting up a luxurious hotel in the world renowned Maasai Mara game reserve. Further investment can be seen in the airline industry with frequent flights between Kenya and London, as well as flights to other destinations of the world.
The levels of hospitality have greatly improved with universities and colleges producing the best of the best in the industry.
Having recognized the need to provide world quality services and standards in the sector, and the Kenya Government supports high standards of staff training, guiding and tourism resource management through institutions such as Utalii College, a recognized centre of excellence for Tourism Training, offering a wide range of training and courses in all areas of tourism, including safari guiding, hotel management, catering and hospitality.
The College has earned recognition by the World Tourism Organization as one of the world’s 16 Centers of Professional Excellence. The East African Community has also designated Kenya Utalii College as one of its three Centers of Excellence in tourism training. With this in mind you can be assured that you will get professional and personalized service from the very best.
Most visitors to Kenya are known to visit the same tourist sites i.e. beach and safari thus promotion of other less exploited destinations in the country is underway as Kenya has a lot more to offer than just wildlife they include sports tourism, cultural tourism, hiking and trekking with an inclusion of new circuits such as the northern and western circuits.
Vigilant planning and positive leadership has capitalized on the tourism potential enabling Kenya to repeatedly out do’s the rest in the East African region. The state of the art infrastructure coupled with a dedication to wildlife conservation is continually thrusting Kenya to the front of the line in the continents tourism industry, a trend we hope continues for centuries to come.
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