Key stakeholders in the tourism and travel industries in Kenya have agreed to partner in order to significantly resuscitate the sectors that have been adversely affected by the restrictions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), Kenya Tourism Board and the Kenya Tourist Federation followed ATTA’s hosting of a consultative forum of key stakeholders across Kenya’s travel and tourism industry in Nairobi last week.
Stakeholders at the meeting – including the Kenya Tourism Board, Kenya Airways, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and the tourism sector umbrella bodies under the Kenya Tourism Federation – agreed to promote synergies between government and the private sector to enhance tourism and travel in the country and beyond the borders.
ATTA President, Nigel Vere Nicoll, commented: “Tourism and aviation are sectors that are symbiotic and need each other to fully thrive. We have met to ensure that, together, we provide solutions and a standard way of operating within safety protocols, and also come up with ideas that can propel travel to Kenya. Our simple message ‘Karibu Kenya’ tells the world that Kenya is open and safe for travellers.”
Vere Nicoll opened the forum, explaining that stakeholders in UK had learned during the pandemic, that a combined statement and unified approach from all associations covering the travel industry, gained media attention and faster traction, adding strength and gravitas to messaging.
As a result, a coalition of these UK-based bodies, ‘Save Future Travel’, was formed to address issues and lobby government for policy changes and growth opportunities for the tourism and travel sector.
Working on this model, ATTA provided a similar platform for representatives of Kenya’s travel associations, state corporations and private-sector investors, to meet and discuss post-pandemic repositioning in order to send a message to the world that Kenya is indeed fully open for business.
