The Kenyan cabinet has approved the National Tourism Blue Print 2030 as part of efforts to help turn around the industry. The key pillars are product development, marketing, investment and infrastructure development.

Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala, said the Tourism Blue Print was approved last week, and when implemented it would boost the industry and encourage investors to upgrade their facilities to provide quality service to guests. Investors are also being called on to come up with new products to meet the demand of millennial travellers.

“We are encouraging investors to invest in tourism circuits that lack quality accommodation to enable tourists to enjoy their stay in any part of the country.”

Balala said the Kenya Tourism Board is coming up with new marketing strategies in a bid to attract more tourists to the country. As well as marketing drives in traditional and emerging markets, he said the marketing agency would explore digital marketing to reach out to many consumers.

The government is investing heavily in infrastructural development to enable tourists to travel in comfort, and security to make the country a safe haven for holidaymakers. “The introduction of the Madaraka Express trains between Nairobi and Mombasa have made it easier for domestic and foreign tourists to travel to the coast.” Balala added that the government was determined to address challenges facing the industry to create an enabling environment for tourism to perform well to help create jobs and promote economic growth.

Cabinet has also approved a National Tourism Council and an Inter-Agency Tourism Council to strengthen relationships between the public and private sectors. The two councils, he said, would bring together key tourism stakeholders from both sectors to work together with the Tourism Ministry to uplift the industry.