Tourism hurt by decline in foreign visitors, CS Phyllis Kandie says
East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Mrs Phyllis Kandie with Dr Taleb Rifai, the Director General World Tourism Organization in Nairobi on April 25, 2015. Ongoing efforts to revive tourism in Kenya have received a major boost after a German airline announced introduction of weekly flights from Munich to Mombasa. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mrs Kandie said the continued drop in international arrivals requires urgent attention.
- She reiterated that Kenya is working with international allies to tackle terrorism.
The number of foreign tourists arriving in Kenya has decline by 20 per cent with Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie blaming travel advisories by Western Countries.
Mrs Kandie said the continued drop in international arrivals requires urgent attention and urged countries issuing advisories to avoid raising unnecessary fears among their citizens.
“Kenya is a huge country… and vast majority is perfectly safe to visit, especially national parks and conservancies.
“We urge all international governments issuing travel advisories for Kenya to explicitly make this clear. Universal travel bans are counterproductive and tantamount to succumbing to irrational ideology of terrorism,” she said.
The CS said thousands of Kenyan families are facing uncertain future as the country’s economy is “heavily dependent on tourism.”
Mrs Kandie was speaking in Nairobi as she welcomed the director general of the World Tourism Organisation Dr Taleb Rifai.
Mrs Kandie said terrorism is a global issue and “if the world can stand together after Charlie Hebdo, we must equally stand together after an attack like Garissa.”
“People are not cancelling their visit to the Eiffel Tower, but hundreds have cancelled holidays to perfectly safe areas of Kenya,” she said.
She reiterated that Kenya is working with international allies to tackle terrorism.
