Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #42
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<strong>Hotel</strong> & <strong>Tourism</strong><br />
<strong>SMARTreport</strong> <strong>#42</strong><br />
2019 Spring Edition 33<br />
33<br />
Hon. Najib Balala, EGH, Cabinet Secretary for <strong>Tourism</strong> &<br />
Wildlife, Kenya says improved security has been a driver for<br />
the increased number of tourists to the country. We asked how<br />
Kenya’s tourism infrastructure is developing.<br />
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)<br />
has enabled movement of tourists<br />
between the key cities of Mombasa<br />
and Nairobi, an impetus to tourism<br />
business. The expansion of Jomo<br />
Kenyatta International Airport has<br />
made it possible for the launch<br />
of a Nairobi to New York direct<br />
flight with increasing passenger<br />
traffic. The expansion of Malindi<br />
airport and Manda Airport in Lamu<br />
are geared to attracting more<br />
passengers through heavier aircraft.<br />
The development of new hotels,<br />
including international brands,<br />
has increased confidence among<br />
investors. The Diani Airport will also<br />
be expanded to accommodate more<br />
and bigger flights into Diani, the<br />
leading beach in Africa.<br />
What are the key travel trends in<br />
2019?<br />
Kenya is focusing on the following<br />
priorities in 2019 as envisioned in<br />
our tourism transformative agenda:<br />
product diversification to cater for<br />
different needs of the traveller, as<br />
Hon. Najib<br />
Balala<br />
EGH, Cabinet Secretary<br />
for <strong>Tourism</strong> & Wildlife, Kenya<br />
INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
INVESTMENT DRIVES<br />
KENYA TOURISM AHEAD<br />
THE EXPANSION<br />
OF JOMO KENYATTA<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
AIRPORT HAS MADE<br />
IT POSSIBLE FOR<br />
THE LAUNCH OF A<br />
NAIROBI TO NEW<br />
YORK DIRECT FLIGHT<br />
well as enhancing the customer<br />
experience. Visitors are keener now<br />
on experiences and we are looking<br />
into immersing visitors into some of<br />
these, like culture and adventure.<br />
What are your key source markets<br />
for tourists into Kenya?<br />
Europe is a key source market,<br />
which has continued to record yearon-year<br />
growth. The United States<br />
is the leading market. Kenya is also<br />
focusing on emerging markets as<br />
well as Africa, India and China<br />
ST HELENA: IT’S<br />
NOT JUST ABOUT<br />
NAPOLEON<br />
If there was an award for the most exotic<br />
destination in MEA, it could well be St Helena<br />
Island. Imagine a territory that stands almost<br />
in the middle of nowhere in the immensity<br />
of the Atlantic Ocean. St Helena is a 16 by<br />
18 km volcanic tropical island located some<br />
4,000 kilometres east of Brazil’s coastline<br />
and 1,900 km west of Namibia.<br />
Populated by only 4,500 inhabitants, this<br />
British Overseas Territory is now luring the<br />
global travel market. One of the reasons<br />
carries a name: Napoleon Bonaparte…<br />
“2021 will mark the 200th anniversary of<br />
Napoleon’s death in St Helena and European<br />
visitors have a huge interest for this place,”<br />
explains Helena Bennett, the island’s Director<br />
of <strong>Tourism</strong>.<br />
Napoleon’s presence can be remembered<br />
through a dozen sites, including the two<br />
original houses in which he resided as well<br />
as his grave. But Napoleon is not the only<br />
attraction that St Helena wants to promote.<br />
The island is blessed with a pristine nature,<br />
ideal for trekking and hiking, clear waters<br />
perfect for diving and a rich marine life with<br />
whale sharks and dolphins. And above all, it<br />
is a place to truly relax away from the urban<br />
life<br />
© Rainer Schimpf
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