ECONOMY

Tourism sector to increase earnings to Sh175 billion

The tourism sector targets to increase the tourist arrivals which stood at 1.3 million in 2016 to 2.5 million by 2022, according to a new strategic plan just released.

It also plans to increase tourism earnings from Ksh99 billion in 2016 to Ksh175 billion in 2022.

To realize the targets, Tourism Research Institute (TRI) will play a vital role in informing policy choices and devising strategies that will ensure the sector gets more competitive.

Speaking Wednesday during a stakeholder’s consultative forum to discuss strategic plan 2018-2023, in Nairobi, the TRI chairperson, Board of Directors Jennifer Barassa said the strategic plan will spur research in the sector with the objective of growing for prosperity and posterity.

“This strategic plan will also offer a structured leadership to researchers in the tourism sector, with the aim of availing a pool of research findings that can help design policies and strategies to achieve the targets set in the sector,” she said.

Barassa explained that the strategic focus during the plan period will be underpinned by three critical pillars namely, undertaking tourism research, coordinating tourism research and disseminating research findings alongside development of institutional capacity to facilitate the pillars.

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David Gitonga, the CEO of TRI said the institute will position itself as the agency that will drive innovation by availing credible and timely research findings for the industry policy makers and practitioners.

Gitonga guaranteed the stake holders that the institute’s mandate and purpose is to undertake and coordinate tourism research.

He noted the competitiveness of Kenya as a tourist destination is guaranteed by continuous product improvement and diversification driven by innovation.

“As Kenya’s tourism spearheads to development, Tourism Research Institute has set out the course of tourism research for the next five years,” he said

The inaugural strategic plan aims at laying a firm foundation for tourism research which has been identified as the missing link in the tourism sector. The plan will set systems, policies, infrastructure and standards to guide tourism research in the medium to long term period.

TRI is a creation of the Tourism Act 2011 which is in its operationalization stage and the plan is aligned to the third medium term plan of the vision 2030, and the National tourism blue print 2030 which is the driver of tourism development in the country.