Ministry of Tourism has set aside Sh500 million to cushion the industry against the effects of Coronavirus.
In a statement, CS Tourism Najib Balala said the decision was arrived at after meeting sector stakeholders in Nairobi on Wednesday.
The meeting brought together Nairobi hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents, and airline representatives.
“Part of this money will be used to restore destination confidence to ensure that Kenya remains as a preferred travel destination globally while the rest will be used for the post Coronavirus recovery strategy in all our key source market,” Balala said.
He added that the government is prepared and committed to ensure that Covid-19 does not get into the country a reason why President Uhuru Kenyatta formed a task force to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the disease.
The tourism sector is one of the most affected with global movement limited as well as industry players anticipating losses due to the deadly coronavirus epidemic.
Most of Kenya's tourist source countries including the US, Italy, Germany, and France are worst hit by the virus that has since claimed almost 5,000 lives and infected more than 100,000 people across 100 countries.
The epidemic has also seen a ban on flights to and from the biggest tourists’ source markets of Asia and Europe.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a COVID-19 incident management system was established in January which activated its emergency operations to better provide ongoing support to the epidemic response.
Apart from the isolation centre at Mbagathi hospital, every county will have an isolation ward for COVID-19 as the Ministry of Health currently oversees the training of 5000 doctors and nurses to ensure that the country is well prepared in case the pandemic strikes.
Kenya has also been selected as the hub for CDC Africa which ensures that the country is at the center of eliminating the disease.
During the meeting, the stakeholders through the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) chairman Mohamed Hersi said they are ready to work collaboratively with the government to ensure that Kenya’s tourism remains at the top.
According to the Computer and Cyber Crimes Act, sharing fake news and propagating hate speech attracts a Sh five million fine or a two-year prison sentence, or both.
Hersi urged the public to desist from spreading fear and creating perceptions that the conditions were bad while also remained confident that the government was working to ensure that Coronavirus does not get into the country.
