The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife says it will review proposals from stakeholders across the tourism sector in preparation for major policy pronouncements by President William Ruto during Friday’s Jamhuri Day celebrations.
Speaking on the second day of the Kenya Tourism, Wildlife and MICE Week showcase held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), CS Rebecca Miano said that stakeholder input will be critical in shaping the future direction of Kenya’s tourism industry.
“As we chart the future of the tourism sector, I want to urge all stakeholders to bring forward your proposals and recommendations so that we can deliberate on how we shall move this sector forward,” Miano said.
“These submissions will be a very critical component of the comprehensive framework that we are developing, even as we prepare for the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Friday, where President William Ruto will make major policy pronouncements to enhance the transformation of the tourism sector,” she added.
For instance, Ruto is expected to rally the sector towards growing tourist numbers to 5.5 million and increase the sector’s contribution to GDP to 10 per cent from the current six per cent.
The sector contributed more than 452 billion in 2024 and remains a major foreign-exchange earner, supporting over three million jobs directly and indirectly.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Kenya’s tourism sector is projected to contribute Sh1.2 trillion to the economy in 2025, representing more than seven per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The industry is expected to sustain at least 1.7 million jobs, accounting for eight per cent of national employment.
On Tuesday, Ruto was in Tsavo National Park, where he called on industry players to embrace innovation and become sustainable.
“We must market the complete Kenya story – from our technological innovation to our athletic excellence, from the Cradle of Humankind to our over 40 vibrant communities,” President William Ruto
He added that the national tree-planting programme would strengthen eco-tourism while ensuring benefits reached local communities.
The president approved the construction of luxury hotels within Tsavo National Park and announced a hike in park accommodation fees.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO, June Chepkemei, noted that innovation remains a key focus area in marketing Kenya as a leading tourism destination.
“As a sector, we find ourselves competing for the same pool of country resources against other more important sectors, like health, education and infrastructure. Hence, we need to keep innovating to make the most of the resources allocated to us to market and maintain Kenya as a leading tourism destination,” she said
“Through campaigns such as Tembea Kenya for the domestic traveler and Magical Kenya for the international tourist and the recent Magical Kenya Mountain trails, we keep innovating around our products. We’ll be launching new campaigns at the end of this week to keep our momentum going,” Chepkemei added.
Stakeholders called for more investment in infrastructure and enhanced capacity development as the country seeks to enhance its MICE competitiveness in the region and position itself as Africa’s premier MICE hub.
Conversations on enhancing destination competitiveness also took center stage, with participants exploring strategies to improve Kenya’s global tourism ranking through improved air connectivity and modernized facilities.
Other sessions tackled tourism governance and regulatory reforms and unlocking capital for tourism transformation, with stakeholders highlighting the need for innovative financing mechanisms and investment incentives to drive sector growth.
The Kenya Tourism, Wildlife and MICE Week ends today (Thursday) before culminating in the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Friday at the Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi.
by VICTOR AMADALA
