Unlocking Tourism treasures in the counties
The Council of Governors (CoG) chair of the wildlife and tourism committee Patrick Ole Ntutu has called for unlocking tourism treasures in the counties. Ntutu, the Narok Governor says many tourism products go unheard of in the counties, yet they have potential to market the country. He says at the CoG, they have embarked on a journey of discovery of these products. "We have tasked the county executive committee members for tourism to at least identify one of the best tourism sites for marketing," he said.
Governor Ntutu spoke during a dinner party in Kisumu on Friday night, where he was the chief guest ahead of celebrations to mark United Nations World Tourism Day and Kenya Tourism Week celebrations.
He says counties must package what they feel is their best in terms of tourism products so as to open doors to a vibrant tourism engagement platform.
Ntutu noted that counties are the guardians of invaluable tourism resources thus the need to help them harness the immense potential to contribute to the thriving tourism sector. "The 47 counties have rich tourism gems amidst them and we have embarked on a journey to unearth them, we want to nurture products and create experiences within our counties" he says.
Ntutu challenged Kenyans to embrace travelling across the country to visit destinations in the counties to spur local tourism. However, the Governor decried low charges at the country's destinations, causing tourism to fall in terms of its contributions to the GDP.
"Tourism was the number one earner for the country's GDP but it has fallen to number four because of low rates we are charging at our parks and other sites," he said.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano who was also present during the dinner underscored the need to market products within the tourism circuits. Miano took the opportunity to unveil the 9 tourism circuits within the country.
"I am excited that we are unveiling the circuits we have in the country so that each county can showcase what they have,' she said. The CS called on the Gen Zs to use their smartphones to photograph their captivating destinations and share with the world.
"Take photographs of the best places around your homes to foster a sustainable tourism sector to market our remarkable nation," she said.
