Things are looking up for Coast as tourists flock back

Tourism at the Coast, which has been going through tough times, is having a welcome rebound.

The good times is signalled by the return of conference tourism with the holding of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation meeting in Mombasa, opened on Friday by Deputy President William Ruto.

Organisation’s secretary-general Taleb Rifai urged international tourists to come to Kenya in droves to enjoy beach, safari and the diverse culture.

“Kenya is safe and that is why I am here to attend the East African Tourism development forum,” he said.

“I appeal to tourists from around the world to now visit Kenya to have fun on the beaches and game drives in the parks as well as meet Kenyan friendly people,” Mr Rifai said.

SECURITY PARTNERSHIPS

Speaking at the meeting held at Sarova Whitesands, Mr Ruto said East African countries were working towards forming security partnerships to tackling terrorism to make the region safe for locals and visitors.

Top police officials from the region, he said, had gathered in Naivasha to formulate ways of strengthening security cooperation.

He said Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi would also work together in border patrols to combat terror attacks across the region.

“In order for the East Africa destination to be safe for both locals and international visitors, the regional countries must fight terrorism together,” Mr Ruto said.

“We must invest in security to make our region secure for tourism to grow,” he added.

Hotels in Mombasa are doing roaring business thanks to the conference, school holidays and the international agricultural show.

Some hotels will be packed to capacity until tomorrow when more than 200 delegates attending the conference which ends today return home.

Domestic bookings have also soared due to the Mombasa International Agricultural Show which begins on August 26 and end on August 30.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie welcomed the developments, saying the robust marketing the ministry had started on was beginning to bear fruit.

International tourists are coming in droves following the resumption of charter flights from Italy to Mombasa.

SINGLE DESTINATION

Last month, the flights at Moi International Airport increased from three to seven a week after Meridiana Fly and Neosair airlines from Italy resumed flights.

Hoteliers are also optimistic that international tourist arrivals would soar between October and December when tourists from Germany, UK, Holland and Scandinavian countries come for holiday.

Mr Ruto said the East African countries were also working towards marketing the region as a single destination. This would make the region attract more holidaymakers.

Mr Ruto said the five countries would address the bottlenecks which hinder smooth travel for the region to woo more tourists.

All countries in the region will implement the single tourist visa, he said.

“At the moment, we have Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda which reached an agreement in implementing the single tourist visa.

“We want our neighbours Tanzania to join us so that we can realize the benefits of tourism for the region,” he added.

The Kenyan government had set aside Sh5.2 billion for marketing to revamp the ailing sector.

Mr Ruto added that efforts to market Kenya in West Africa had paid dividends as tourists from Nigeria and Ghana were on the increase.

He thanked Mr Rifai for supporting Kenya’s tourism sector.

The forum was organised by the UN World Tourism Organisation and the Government and was attended by participants from 10 countries including  Kenya, Uganda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Mr Rifai called on African countries to unite in combating terrorism. He said although the continent had great potential for tourism, the sector had been facing challenges of political strife and terrorism.
“African countries must work together to address security challenges for tourism to perform well as the continent has good tourist products,” he said.

“Last year, the continent received 56 million international tourists. There is still room for growth if countries do joint marketing,” he said.

Africa must remain relevant in an increasingly competitive global market place, he said.