1,000 beach traders undergo training

Kenya Coast Tourist Association (KCTA) Executive Officer Millicent Odhiambo addresses investors at Mnarani club on October 18, 2013 during the Governor's round table meeting. On September 20, 2015, she said her group had partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (Untwo) to train beach traders in a bid to end harassment of tourists. PHOTO | GEORGE KIKAMI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  MATHIAS RINGA

What you need to know:

  • The ill-treatment of holidaymakers on beaches has been a long-standing problem affecting tourism in the region.
  • In an interview with the Nation at Mvindeni in Kwale County, Ms Odhiambo said the training targets 10,000 traders across the region.

More than 1,000 beach traders at the Coast have undergone customer care training as part of efforts to curb harassment of tourists.

The ill-treatment of holidaymakers on beaches has been a long-standing problem affecting tourism in the region.

Efforts to move the small-scale traders from the beaches has proved futile due to lack of political goodwill from local leaders as they fear losing votes during elections.

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ENDING HARASSMENT
The business people include curio dealers, boat owners, fruit vendors, camel riders, photographers, providers of massage services and clothes sellers.

Apart from insecurity, the harassment of holidaymakers on the beaches has been cited as a major factor undermining the Government’s efforts to revive the troubled sector.
On Sunday, Kenya Coast Tourist Association (KCTA) Executive Officer Millicent Odhiambo said her group had partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (Untwo) and Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu counties in training beach traders in a bid to end harassment of tourists.

She said the training programme was initiated two years ago as part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the problem.

TRADERS TRAINED
According to Ms Odhiambo, 590 out of the 3,000 registered beach traders in Mombasa County had undergone the training.
Untwo provided Sh3.5 million for the training that covers customer care, financial management, entrepreneurship, marketing, code of conduct and ethics, team building, product development and management.

Other topics are taking care of beaches, sustainable tourism, sources of alternative livelihoods and investment.

“We want the beach traders to know that when they harass tourists, they will end up the first losers as they will lack a market for their products,” said Ms Odhiambo.

DETECTING CRIMINALS
In an interview with the Nation at Mvindeni in Kwale County, Ms Odhiambo said the training targets 10,000 traders across the region.

The Tourist Police Unit’s Coast region boss, Mr Wilyberforce Sicharani, said the beach traders had also been trained on how to detect criminals, including tourists who are drug traffickers and paedophiles.

“The traders have helped us arrest criminals on the beaches,” Mr Sicharani said.

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