Cash boost for single tourist visa regime

Kenya Tourism Federation chairperson Lucy Karume during a tourism stakeholders conference at Utalii Hotel in Nairobi on July 23, 2014. The Kenyan tourism sector has received a Sh9 million grant to help companies benefit from a regional initiative to have visitors sightsee East African countries using a single visa. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  YVONNE KAWIRA

What you need to know:

  • Receiving the grant from TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Kenya Tourism Federation chairperson Lucy Karume said the money would boost efforts to market the bloc as one destination.
  • Kenya has been working on revamping tourism products to position itself strategically for marketing in the global markets.

The Kenyan tourism sector has received a Sh9 million grant to help companies benefit from a regional initiative to have visitors sightsee East African countries using a single visa.

Receiving the grant from TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Kenya Tourism Federation chairperson Lucy Karume said the money would boost efforts to market the bloc as one destination.

Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda earlier this year launched the East Africa tourist visa, which grants foreigners entry into any of the three countries without any added costs and bureaucracy.

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Speaking at the signing of the deal, TMEA Kenya country director Chris Kiptoo said the tourism sector is key to the country’s economic growth.

He said the industry stands to benefit from the ongoing EAC integration through development of a regional market for visitors.

“Marketing of the region as a single tourist destination presents more employment opportunities in the region for the labour force and deepening of trade between the countries in the EAC,” he said.

STRATEGIC POSITIONING

Ms Karume said the initiative is expected to ensure the three countries have a significant share of the 50 million tourists who visit the continent annually, as well as stir cross border economic and tourism growth.

Kenya has been working on revamping tourism products to position itself strategically for marketing in the global markets.

This comes as Narok County Governor Samuel ole Tunai announced plans to give the Maasai Mara Game Reserve a major facelift to urgently address the challenges experienced at the game reserve.

The government is also planning to work with the private sector to enable conferencing in major towns countrywide.

The project involves construction of hotels at Bomas of Kenya with a capacity of 15,000 and another in Mombasa with a capacity of 5,000.

The proposed plan for Bomas includes building a seven-star presidential hotel, a five-star hotel, a four-star hotel and two three-star hotels, all within the next three years.

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