Stakeholders ask for more cash to market tourism
Last year Kenya received 1.23 million tourists, down from 1.26 million holidaymakers recorded in 2011. Photo/FILE
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- The country’s competitors such as Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, he said, spend huge amounts of money on marketing their destinations and that is why they attract large number of holidaymakers.
The incoming government has been urged to plough back 10 per cent of the tourism revenue to market the country in the overseas’ markets.
In order to revamp the sector, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast branch executive officer Sam Ikwaye said the government should allocate more funds for marketing the country.
Last year the industry earned the economy Sh96 billion down from Sh97 billion realised in 2011.
Mr Ikwaye said by setting aside Sh9.6 billion for marketing, the government could turn around the tourism sector, boost economic growth, create jobs and spur development.
He noted that the budget of less than Sh1 billion which the government allocated to the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) for marketing in the current financial year is inadequate.
The country’s competitors such as Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, he said, spend huge amounts of money on marketing their destinations and that is why they attract large number of holidaymakers.
Tourist arrivals in Kenya dropped to 1.23 million last year compared to 1.26 million in 2011.
The decline has been attributed to insecurity fears across the country, the eurozone debt crisis in traditional source market and uncertainties surrounding the just concluded General Election.
