Travel agency predicts tourism will recover

An international tourism agency has supported Kenya’s pleas against possible travel advisories following the terrorist attack at the Westgate Mall.

World Travel and Tourism Council chief executive officer David Scowsil said yesterday terrorism should not be allowed to stifle tourism.

Speaking during the Africa Hotel Investment Forum at Hotel InterContinental, Nairobi, he said: “Global terrorism has come to Kenya with devastating effect. There is speculation that this terrorist attack will affect tourism.

HAVING GOOD TIME

“It will not and it should not. The delegates should help Kenya by telling the world that they are safe and having a good time.”

He added: “Terrorist attacks are tragically a fact of life that the industry has learned to live with over the years. Together with natural disasters like the Icelandic ash cloud, they are constant challenges for government and the private sector.”

Mr Scowsil noted that after the Japan earthquake and tsunami, within a year domestic, outbound and international tourism was back to pre-disaster days — an indicator of the industries’ ability to quickly recover.

“While other industries can take time to recover from shocks, travel and tourism can be up and running within days and even hours after a terrorist attack. It is crucial in these situations that a country remains open to tourism.

“The message has to be clear—tourists are welcome and safe… and that they will have the wonderful experience they are seeking,” he said.

The forum is being held in Kenya for the second year after Ethiopia failed to host it. Delegates are from various countries and include government officials and private investors in the tour sector.

Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Phyllis Kandie thanked the delegates for cancelling their trip to Kenya, saying, it would help reduce anxiety for potential tourists. “We do not take this for granted,” she said.

BUILD MORE HOTELS

She told potential investors that the country needed to build more hotels to cope with the influx of tourists.

Another area of investment, Ms Kandie told the delegates, was in construction of conference centres across the country.

“There exists enormous opportunities in the hotel and hospitality industry. We expect the rising number of tourist arrivals to put pressure on bed capacity.

“We are also keen on constructing convention centres and given the enormity and the urgency, we welcome investors through public-private partnerships,” the minister said.