I don’t favour Coast in tourism marketing, says CS Balala

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has refuted claims by Council of Governors Chairman Josphat Nanok that he favours the Coast and game reserves in marketing Kenya as the best tourist destination.

Mr Balala, who is in Canada with a team from the Kenya Wildlife Service, said Kenya's staple products in tourism marketing remain its safari and pristine beaches, according to wide consultations with tourism professionals.

“The national blue print was developed by professional agency and with wide consultation. Areas like Lake Turkana lack infrastructure and have security issues,” Mr Balala told the Nation.

LAKE TURKANA

On Monday, Mr Nanok said Mr Balala had failed to promote tourism in northern Kenya and preferred Maasai Mara and Nairobi National Park.

He said little had been done to conserve Lake Turkana.

“I don’t choose or select what I market and I don’t market. It is the Kenya Tourism Board that markets,” Mr Balala said Thursday.

He said the national blue print for the next 13 years identifies safari and beach as niche products for Kenya.

He said tourists come to Kenya for safari and beach and “by extension, they can go to Lake Turkana.”

He said Lake Turkana lacks accessible roads, hotels and security.

“If Nanok wants to play politics let him do so,” Mr Balala said adding that Coast is a mass market for tourists and had adequate facilities.

“I have no apologies for coming from the Coast and I don’t market tourism because I come from the coast,” Mr Balala said.

He said the country targets to attract five million visitors by 2030. Tourism statistics show that international arrivals increased last year by 9.8 percent to 1.4 million from the previous year’s 1.3 million.