Tourism sector will grow in our country if there will be cooperation between the stakeholders and government according to CS Najib Balala. Speaking at Statehouse in Mombasa during a tourism summit, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Najib Balata urged all stakeholders to work hand in hand with the government in order to change the face of the tourism sector in the country. “We can transform tourism in our country through cooperation between private sectors and the government,” noted Balala.
He said mechanisms are in place to ensure the local tourism sector grows and to encourage more Kenyans to visit tourism destinations in the country, “Charges are high in our national parks and reserves, thus denying Kenya revenue to make tourism profitable. We need to sit down with all stakeholders to lower our charges on services offered in the tourism sector to promote local tourism,” said Balala.
He said promoting local tourism will enable the sector to grow faster, center than relying on foreign tourists who sometimes are restrained by travel advisories. He also challenged Kenya Airways to lower their flight charges, as a result, it will encourage more people to travel to Kenya and promote the sector in the country. “A flight to Maasai Mara from Nairobi costs 320 Dollars, which is expensive,” said Balala.
He further encouraged youth to target jobs in the sector, given that the sector has a lot of job opportunities and challenged them to acquire more skills which will enable them to be absorbed in different departments which are found in the tourism sector, “We have Utalii college which offers relevant skills that are required in the tourism sector and also plans are underway to establish another college in Kilifi to accommodate more students,” he noted.
He accepted the state of infrastructure in Mombasa isn’t fully improved and promised that the government is determined to see the state of Mombasa airport more advanced and developed.