Tourism remains stable despite terror attack
PHOTO | FILE The Cabinet Secretary for East Africa, Commerce and Tourism Phyllis Kandie at a past function.
What you need to know:
- Tourism remains stable despite the recent terror attack at Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate Mall, with no recorded cancellations so far.
- The conference surpassed its registration target of 300 participants from 46 countries which, according to the organisers, is an expression of the world’s confidence in Kenya as a safe destination for both business and leisure travel.
Tourism remains stable despite the recent terror attack at Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate mall, with no recorded cancellations so far.
In her speech read by Tourism principal secretary Ibrahim Mohammed at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi during the opening of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2013, the secretary said an interministerial committee had been formed to ensure the attack does not affect the sector.
CONFIDENCE
The conference surpassed its registration target of 300 participants from 46 countries which, according to the organisers, is an expression of the world’s confidence in Kenya as a safe destination for both business and leisure travel.
“Terrorism is a global phenomenon and this recent incident is not unique to Kenya. Militants cannot and should not dictate our way of life, and tourism is a resilient industry, always resistant to external threats in the medium- and long-term,’’ Ms Kandie said.
She further said there was a need to encourage local ownership and management of tourism enterprises.
“Ecotourism is the only way to ensure our ecosystem heritage is passed on to other generations for posterity. Tourism must give back to communities and we must ensure the returns are not sporadic, but must serve generations to come,” she added.
The conference was organised by The International Ecotourism Society, Kenya Tourism Board and African Wildlife Foundation.
