NAIROBI, (The Southern African Times) — Kenya plans to develop tourism products at the local community level in order to boost sector revenues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a government official said on Sunday.
Najib Balala, cabinet secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said that the country’s tourism sector is on its knees due to containment measures put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic.
“The national government will partner with county governments to develop tourism products at the community level throughout the country in order to revive the sector,” Balala said in a statement to mark the World Tourism Day.
Balala added that there are a number of localities in the country that are totally dependent on tourism revenues and so the restrictions put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 have affected their income streams.
“I want to encourage domestic tourism because every traveler creates a job for the sector,” he noted.
The government official said that due to the significance of the tourists in the economy, the sector is now an important part of rural development.
Balala observed that Kenya is principally known as a beach and wildlife destination but wants to diversify in order to tap its rich culture and heritage as part of plans to revive the sector.
