•In the plan the government will set up a collaborative framework that we will make it easier for the partnership.
•Going forward Miano revealed that her ministry was working to develop the National Tourism Strategy as they work towards coming up with initiatives that will help boost domestic tourism.
Image: FILE
The Ministry of Tourism will involve players in the tourism sector in bidding for international events to be held in Kenya, Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has said.
In the plan the government will set up a collaborative framework that we will make it easier for the partnership.
Kenya has been targeting a bigger share of tourism revenue from Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions.
“We will establish a collaborative framework that we will enable us to partner in bidding for international congresses and business events under the Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions(MICE) agenda,” said Miano
Meetings have in the past few years recorded mixed performance in Kenya, for instance in 2023, arrivals on business and MICE came as the third highest tourism revenue earners with 24 percent of the total visitation.
However, this was a drop of 3.24 per cent on the share of the total even as the sector continues to record a significant growth when compared to pre-COVID period when it accounted for 13.5 percent.
Topping the list were visitors on holiday at 45 per cent followed by those Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) at 24 per cent of the total.
According to the International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA), Kenya rose to third place in Africa in 2023, a significant leap from ninth in 2022. South Africa led with 98 conferences, followed by Rwanda with 32, and Kenya with 21.
Globally, Kenya moved up to the 58th position in 2023 from 80th in 2022, with Nairobi rising to the 111th position from 292nd.
Data by KNBS shows that in the year 2023, MICE segment recorded 25,703 international delegates which compared with the previous year that recorded 18,658 delegates translated to a growth of 37.75 per cent.
The number of international delegates increased during September in the year 2023 triggered by high-profile meetings Kenya hosted during the year.
These were the EU- Kenya Business Forum in Nairobi, Africa Climate Summit and the East Africa Regional Tourism Expo and Magical Kenya Travel Expo and United Nations Habitat Assembly on Urban Agenda.
Miano who spoke during a meeting with officials from Kenya tourism Federation and Kenya Tourists guides said partnerships with various players will help the country record increment of revenue from the current Sh352 billion to about Sh824 billion annually.
“My commitment is to build synergies with the private sector to develop a common approach in transforming the Tourism Sector to be the number one contributor of foreign exchange earnings job creation and GDP Growth,” she said.
Going forward Miano revealed that her ministry was working to develop the National Tourism Strategy as they work towards coming up with initiatives that will help boost domestic tourism.
Other areas which Miano said she will be seeking collaboration with the private sector is on digitizing the tourism sector as well as financing mechanisms to support sector growth.
“We are committed towards developing virtual tours, and developing the Tourist App that will provide recommendations, informationof attractions and digitized guided tours,” she said.