To ensure the sustenance and recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry during and after the COVID-19 crisis in Kenya, its tourism stakeholders have agreed on a raft of measures.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala during an online tourism stakeholder conference held in Nairobi said that they have to restart and reset the industry from a new slate going forward.
Balala mentioned in a statement issued on Tuesday after the conference that the industry needs to ensure it adapts to the currently evolving scenarios to ensure that it recovers much faster.
He requested the tourism stakeholders to establish recovery funds for small enterprises, and relook at the aviation and travel sector, cautioning that without aviation there is no tourism.
The conference saw local and international tourism industry professionals to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kenya’s tourism industry.
The tourism sector is currently one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of COVID-19.
Participants went on saying that travel restrictions, flight cancellations and frequency reduction have significantly diminished the supply of both domestic and international services while demand continues to retract.
According to Balala the other key component is to change the mindset for domestic and regional markets.
He said that they also need to bear in mind that issues like age demographics will be important, younger people will be more likely to travel than the older generation. The key to transforming the industry will be to make sure that we do what the new market will want, that is why they must relook at what their offering to the tourist will be.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala during an online tourism stakeholder conference held in Nairobi said that they have to restart and reset the industry from a new slate going forward.
Balala mentioned in a statement issued on Tuesday after the conference that the industry needs to ensure it adapts to the currently evolving scenarios to ensure that it recovers much faster.
He requested the tourism stakeholders to establish recovery funds for small enterprises, and relook at the aviation and travel sector, cautioning that without aviation there is no tourism.
The conference saw local and international tourism industry professionals to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kenya’s tourism industry.
The tourism sector is currently one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of COVID-19.
Participants went on saying that travel restrictions, flight cancellations and frequency reduction have significantly diminished the supply of both domestic and international services while demand continues to retract.
According to Balala the other key component is to change the mindset for domestic and regional markets.
He said that they also need to bear in mind that issues like age demographics will be important, younger people will be more likely to travel than the older generation. The key to transforming the industry will be to make sure that we do what the new market will want, that is why they must relook at what their offering to the tourist will be.
