NAIROBI, Kenya: July 19 (Xinhua) — Kenya plans to develop and promote other tourism products as parts of her diversification measures aimed at attracting tourists instead of relying solely on beach and safari for marketing.
Tourism Minister Dan Mwazo said the government will officially launch a new concept known as ‘Homestays’ in October to provide pocket friendly and secure accommodation option for today’s enlightened tourists as part of efforts to diversify its tourism products to suit the ever changing tastes of its clientele.
“The concept will not only bridge the gap of quality accommodation as envisaged in the Vision 2030 Blue print, but will also provide a unique opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves into the rich and diverse cultural exchange and enhance the spread of the benefits of tourism to the local communities of Kenya,” Mwazo said in a statement received on Thursday.
HomeStays is a unique hospitality system developed by the ministry of tourism, in which a tourist stays with the family as a member of the family. It aims at equipping the tourist with the knowledge of the hosts’ way of life such as agricultural system, folk arts sculptures, sports and cuisine.
“I have no doubt that you (ministry workers) will perform to raise revenue so that tourism becomes the number one foreign exchange earner, overtaking the ministry of agriculture,” Mwazo said.
The minister also announced far reaching changes to be introduced soon to make the tourism sector vibrant, and high income earner to both the government and Kenyans in general. Under the new concept, every county will have 100 Homestays, licensed by the ministry of tourism as part of efforts by the government to empower rural folks, who have been viewing tourism sector as meant for the elites.
He challenged staff to start monthly merit standards to be competed departmentally as one way of motivating them to serve players efficiently and effectively.
Besides diversification from the traditional safari to beach tourism, Mwazo also announced that the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) will be restructured to create posts of “Brand Managers’, whose sole purpose will be to come up with new products and market them to the ever changing travel trends, which he said were becoming more about experiential holidays.
The minister said the KTB is expected to create institutions to develop products that are tailored towards different global as well as domestic and regional markets.
He said the concerned institutions should for example come up with markets according similarities that abound in the different niches like cultural orientations and other conventions that are common in the particular areas.
“Sports, film, medical, education and cultural tourism will form the new components of products to be developed in the near future,” he added.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Leah Gwiyo assured that the government will facilitate all activities that will add value to the government’s efforts in providing quality services to citizens.
Despite their continued promotion, some of these identified products are yet to be packaged for tourism consumption thus presenting Kenya with the opportunity to further develop its product portfolio.
Focus on Kenya’s tourism product has been more focused on delivering service as opposed to improving quality from service delivery aspect.
However, consumer trends are presently demanding added value experiences that are authentic and unique to destination.
It is therefore vital for Kenya to review its tourism product for the betterment and growth of the industry. (Xinhua)
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