New media unit to spur tourism
What you need to know:
- The Cabinet Secretary disclosed that several tourists who had made their bookings at the coast cancelled them due to an attack that left more than 60 people dead on Sunday.
- Ms Kandie disclosed that the government was engaging various groups on how to tackle insecurity.
- The UK has since closed its Honorary Consulate office in Mombasa and issued travel warnings — a move that has seen mass exit of tourists from the country. The US and other European countries have also issued travel advisories.
A crisis communication committee has been created and a social media unit set up to give out information about the country.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie said the team would give Kenyans and the world accurate information about Kenya.
“We urge the local media to authenticate information before publishing; international media will only pick what we report,” Ms Kandie said during Nation FM’s morning show, the “State of the Nation”.
The Cabinet Secretary disclosed that several tourists who had made their bookings at the coast cancelled them due to an attack that left more than 60 people dead on Sunday.
She admitted that the attack at Mpeketoni in Lamu County had affected the tourism sector, but expressed confidence that the sector would rebound.
Ms Kandie disclosed that the government was engaging various groups on how to tackle insecurity. “We are working with our partners to protect the tourism sector that is essential for the development of this country,” she said.
She asked Kenyans to tap into the government’s initiative to support local tourism, adding that the government was extending the offer to regional countries.
The CS said that Mombasa and the coastal region in particular had been the most affected, and tourists were moving to other parts of Kenya.
“After Westgate, tourists figures started going down; obviously the sector is hurting,” she said.
The UK has since closed its Honorary Consulate office in Mombasa and issued travel warnings — a move that has seen mass exit of tourists from the country. The US and other European countries have also issued travel advisories.
Kenya Tourist Board has hired an online reputation management firm at a cost of Sh10 million to help Kenya rebuild its international image online and provide factual information. The agency has earmarked Sh200 million for tourism recovery.
Last year, the sector recorded a 15.8 per cent decline in arrivals which stood at 1.5 million compared to 1.8 million the previous year. Earnings dropped by 2.13 per cent to Sh93.97 billion compared to Sh96.02 billion the previous year.
Cabinet secretary for Industrialization Adan Mohamed said that the world was becoming more competitive and that “most jobs will be created by the private firms”.
