Tight security as Mombasa cultural festival kicks off

MOMBASA

Security has been beefed up in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa as an international cultural festival kicked off on Thursday to boost the tourism sector, which has been hit by insecurity.

The event is expected to attract about 40,000 people, among them locals and international and domestic tourists.

Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said security had been beefed up around city and its environs to ensure both local and foreign tourists attending the festival are safe.

Mr Marwa said more than 300 security officers had been deployed to Mombasa to ensure everything goes on as planned.

Mombasa County Governor Hassan Joho said his government was taking a central role in revamping the tourism industry, adding that the event will put Mombasa on the international map not only as a beach holiday destination, but also full of culture and diverse attractions.

"We should expect a lot of family activities, cultural dances, cuisines. There will also be exhibitors showcasing their products. We have invited a lot of stakeholders that include the business community of Mombasa to participate," Mr Joho told participants.

REVIVING TOURISM

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterer (KAHC) Executive Director Sam Ikwaye said the cultural festival is key in marketing the country globally.

Hundred of local and foreign tourists are expected to flock to the city to explore cultural activities. He said his organisation was optimistic that more stakeholders would join in to support the initiative.

"It's a good initiative that we hope will play a major role to assist in the revival of the sector that has been hit by travel advisories issued by traditional tourist sources," said Mr Ikwaye.

Mr Ikwaye said the four-day event will boost tourism, especially the domestic market.

The major scheduled events — which include cultural dances, henna painting, swimming competition and other coastal cultural product exhibitions — will be held at Fort Jesus, Swahili Centre and Mama Ngina Drive gardens.

INTRODUCING A NEW PRODUCT

He said the cultural festival will mark the introduction of a new product into the Mombasa tourism market.

Mr Joho said Mombasa County had been a beach destination for a long time and the county was now leveraging on other unique selling propositions to change the tourism landscape of Mombasa from leisure to culture.

He said the county was also taking new measures to enhance Mombasa's attraciton, including constructing new roads, increasing water supply in the region and cleaning and beautifying the city.

However, he said, these measures are not enough and the county is focusing on changing the tourism landscape of the region.

"Everyone around the world reads about the rich and diverse culture of this region, but they have not done enough as players to let the tourists enjoy this product and enhance their experience of Mombasa," said Mr Joho.

This year's festival is the second edition of the fete that was launched last year by the county government of Mombasa. The festival aims to boost the tourism sector, which has been hard hit by insecurity.

BOOSTING DOMESTIC TOURISM

Mombasa International Cultural Festival chairperson Rabia Salim said the festival will put the city on the international map not only as a beach holiday destination but also a place full of culture and diverse attractions.

The East African nation's tourism ministry is championing measures to boost domestic tourism.

The country's marketing arm, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), is also planning to boost domestic tourism revenues by up to 50 per cent in three years.

According to the KTB, research shows many Kenyans have yet to visit tourist facilities.

KTB is already in advanced talks with leading financial institutions and tour operators, with a view to coming up with a plan that would enable families and groups to start saving for their holidays well in advance.

This will help make it easier for Kenyans to take holidays in some of the best facilities that have hitherto been seen as the preserve of the more affluent foreign tourists who have been coming into the country.