Miano: I’ll consult on boosting tourist earnings
By Alvin Mwangi, August 15, 2024Newly appointed Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has pledged to fast-track strategies for unlocking the immense potential of Kenya’s tourism sector.
Speaking when she took over at the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife headquarters in Nairobi, Miano said she would lead consultations on revamping the National Tourism Policy considering that the tastes of visitors are changing.
She said the sector holds significant promise to help boost the country’s economic growth.
“I am taking over the helm of this critical sector at a time when the focus is firmly on economic transformation and job creation,” Miano said.
My priority will be to accelerate the growth of tourism earnings to support the government’s development agenda.
“I will seek broad consensus with key stakeholders in the sector to ensure that the spirit of the Bottom-up Economic Model is upheld in a manner that distributes benefits accruing from tourism and wildlife conservation more evenly throughout Kenya as I consult with sector players on ways of reducing human-wildlife conflicts.”
The CS cited the need to enhance product diversification to cater to modern tastes and boost Kenya’s competitive edge. She said her ministry would work closely with all stakeholders to unlock the sector’s potential for domestic and international tourism.
“In collaboration with key sector players, I will seek ways of entrenching a domestic tourism culture as we disabuse [ourselves of] the notion that tourism is for visitors from without,” she said.
“I will also encourage the use of modern information technology to rally the travel industry to not only shore up tourist numbers but also create memorable experiences of our diverse attractions.”
Tourism is the third largest source of foreign exchange for Kenya, with earnings reaching Sh352.6 billion in 2023, up from Sh268.1 billion the previous year, a 31.5 percent increase.
The ministry, through the Kenya Tourism Board, is collaborating with county governments to develop niche tourism circuits, with Miano saying these will be a game-changer for the sector.
“There is a need to retool wildlife conservation in order to respond to current issues like climate change. Kenya is custodian of diverse wildlife heritage, as well as flora and fauna, that we must take care of,” she said.