KENYA:Parliamentary Departmental Committee For Finance Recommends More Funding For Tourism Promotion

Parliamentary Departmental Committee for Finance, Planning and Trade says Kenya’s tourism sector has a potential to become the top foreign exchange earner if it was sufficiently funded.

The Committee vice chairman Nelson Ributhi Gaichuhie said competing destination such as Morocco and South Africa have given Kenya a stiff competition in tourism business owing to adequate resources allocated for tourism activities.

The MP who was accompanied by Stephen Kirwa also a committee member made the remarks yesterday at the ongoing 37th edition of the World Travel Market (WTM) exhibitions in London where about 40 Kenyan travel trades are showcasing their tourism products.

The Kenyan delegation is riding on the positives that Kenya has recorded in the recent past including key international events and high profile personalities that the country has hosted and that have positively projected the profile the destination.

The committee said it will help in lobbying for additional funds towards promotion of tourism business which they noted has picked up with the recent 17% growth from January to August compared to the same period last year.

“We are happy that Kenya is peaceful and our image globally has been projected positively. We thank the government for investing on security and other supportive areas such as infrastructure,” he said.

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Acting Chief Executive Officer Jacinta Nzioka said the UK market that has continued to top in terms of tourist arrivals to Kenya is expected to grow further with promotional and marketing campaigns spread across the market.

“The UK market remains one of Kenya’s top tourist source markets to Kenya. WTM is one of the platforms of showcasing Kenya’s destination and product diversification.

Our global campaigns and the renewed confidence on destination is expected to boost our numbers from the market” added Nzioka

Heritage Hotels Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Hersi lauded the government for reviewing conservation fees whose rates have been exempted from the 16% VAT effective 1st November.

The new rates will see premium Park fees being capped at 60 US dollars down from 70 US dollars. “This is a timely move in increasing interest for safari tours that is popular to tourists and placing the country as a leading safari destination,” said Hersi.

He said Kenya will receive more tourists from the market in the coming months if the positive enquiries in the exhibition are anything to go by.

“We are getting positive enquiries from the travel agents and we are certain that at the end of the show, we would have signed travel deals with the agents,” Hersi enthused.

He added that the prevailing peace in the country has given reassurance to visitors planning to visit Kenya.

Kenya was among the over 180 countries showcasing in a fair to discover and negotiate the latest travel industry trends and opinions at the WTM, one of the largest tourism fair in the world.

TANZANIA: EAC Tourism Plan, Tanzania Reluctant

Tanzania’s reluctance to implement regional integration projects came under sharp focus yesterday during this year’s magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi.

Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda revived calls for a joint marketing campaign for the recovering tourism sector.

The three countries yesterday called on Tanzania to come on board in promoting the region as a package, through the single tourist visa.

“Tanzania has issues. It is the fear of the unknown and fear of competition. We need to grow beyond competition,” Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said, adding “Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda see ourselves as complementary.”

Tanzania has given the regional initiative meant to facilitate access to all member states using a univisa a wide berth.

It has also refused to open up her border at the Mara River to allow movement of tourists flocking the region for the historic Wildebeest migration.

A diplomatic row between Kenya and Tanzania was also witnessed in the last two years over the ban of tour vehicles to access one another’s borders, an issue that is yet to be fully addressed.

“Eventually we will be looking to resolve these issues through dialogue. I am optimistic Tanzania will finally come on board.

Maybe we need to give them time,” Balala said at the annual fair.

Rwanda,Uganda and Kenya have implemented the single visa and use of national identification cards to cross to either sides.

The visa uptake has, however, remained low since its launch in February 2014, with only 4,000 visas having been issued so far.

The three governments cited lack of enough promotion, calling on high commissioners both in Africa and abroad to market the visa. Under the single visa regime, foreigners can visit Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda at a fee of $100(Sh10,130 ), current exchange rate.

“High commissioners should emphasise we have a single visa. It is so unfortunate that tourists pay for different visas to enter the three countries yet they can have one visa,” East African Tourism Platform chairman Bonifence Byamukama said.

The three states have agreed to have a joint stand at the World Travel Market in London (November 7-9 ), to market the region.

ZIMBABWE: Victoria Falls International Airport To Be Commissioned

Refurbishment and construction at the new Victoria Falls International Airport are complete, reports the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.

According to Public Relations Manager, Annajulia Hungwe, all the planned works on the new-look airport have been completed, paving way for the official commissioning of the airport on Friday.

Hungwe said that the development project entailed construction of a new international terminal building with the necessary passenger processing facilities; construction of a new 4km runway and associated taxiways; and construction of a new air traffic control tower with associated equipment. A new fire station, sewer ponds and water reservoir have also been completed.

The project also entailed the refurbishment of the old terminal building, which was converted into a domestic terminal, and the expansion of car parks to accommodate the anticipated increased demand for parking space.

Operators in the tourism industry have welcomed the commissioning of the new airport, which now has the capacity to handle 1.5 million passengers per annum.

Africa Albida Tourism Chief Executive, Ross Kennedy, said the new airport should take the destination and region to a new level in terms of arrivals.

“The socio-economic benefits will be widespread as increased and new access drives the tourism sector’s growth with arrivals from additional source markets.” Kennedy said there was a lot of interest in the new Victoria Falls International Airport at the recent World Travel Market in London.

“I met with many tour operators, media and airlines at the show, and I can confirm that the interest is very high and that the travel industry is excited by the opening of the new airport.

“Zimbabwe remains a ’hot destination’ on the schedules of many tour operators across the globe,” Kennedy said.