Kenya’s Tourism Board has called upon counties in the Lake Victoria region to come up with a simple and fast licencing regime of hotels to open the region’s tourism sector.
The region comprises of Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay counties.
“This is the best way to open up the tourism potential of the region,” board director Steve Gwendo was quoted as saying by the local media during a Kenya Association of Tour Operators meeting.
“The Western tourism circuit has huge potential.”
He also bemoaned “limited” investment in tourism around water bodies in the country, which has stunted overall growth for years.
“If we have cruise ships doing inter-cities within the lake, Kisumu city and the neighbouring counties will immensely benefit from revenue from the increased number of tourists,” said Gwendo.
Meanwhile, the director said that Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria is set to open as a high-end tourist resort.
Kenya received 2,02 million international tourists in 2018, a 37,3% growth compared to 1,47 million arrivals witnessed in 2017.
The growth was attributed, among other things, to political stability, improved security situation, growth in the aviation sector and withdrawal of travel advisories.
Blogs
