Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
India is the fifth largest tourism market for Kenya, and the largest in Asia. Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is focused on taking India to the number three position. In the first nine months of 2014, more than 42,910 Indians had visited the country. Visitor arrivals in 2014 was five per cent less than the previous year due to the many challenges being faced by the tourism sector in Kenya.
Muriithi Ndegwa, managing director, KTB who was in India recently assured travellers from India that his country was a safe destination despite the terrorist attacks last year, and that, it is also an Ebola-free country. “Last year we had challenges with security, but terrorism is a global phenomenon. A lot of measures have been put in place to ensure security of not only the citizens but also tourists. A lot of investment has gone into mitigation,” said Ndegwa. Kenya Tourism Federation has a security division which looks into ensuring safety of visitors.
The other challenge is Ebola. Ndegwa felt that people have misconceptions in the international market and are not aware of the geographical distances in Africa. Pointing out that Kenya has not had a single incidence of Ebola, he said, “Africa is not a country – it is a continent.” He assured that travellers to Kenya did not face any risk of contracting Ebola.
Yellow fever is another challenge that tourism in Kenya has had to deal with. Informing that in the last 15 years the country has not had a single incidence of yellow fever, Ndegwa stated that the results have been presented to WHO, and the latter’s response is awaited.
After the completion of the new terminal in Nairobi, Kenya expects to become the new hub of Africa. New airports are being constructed or expanded for better connectivity. New roadways are now allowing easy access to the key national parks. Many international hospitality brands are also setting up projects in the country. Kenya ranks second in Africa when it comes to MICE tourism. There is a lot of focus on creating better MICE facilities.