MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA INBOUND Najib Balala Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Kenya 10.4% GROWTH IN ARRIVALS FOR KENYA Airport expansion and infrastructure improvement go hand in hand with tourism growth Throughout last year, Kenya witnessed a growth trajectory which the government hopes to maintain this year, holding all other factors constant. We asked Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Najib Balala to give us the latest details… The total consolidated arrivals for 2016 closed at 1,307,351, a 10.4% growth over 2015 that recorded 1,183,847. Our domestic segment continues to grow posting a total of 3.6 million bed nights being taken up by Kenyans in 2016 compared to 3.1 million in 2015, a 14.6% growth. How is tourism infrastructure evolving? Infrastructure evolution is going hand in hand with the evolution/ growth in the tourism business. Some of the infrastructure development that has direct impact on tourism includes the expansion and modernisation of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This will ease congestion at the airport by meeting its current and future demand. Traffic at the airport is growing at a rate of 12% per annum, and is expected to hit the 25 million mark by 2025. In the coastal part of Kenya, Malindi Airport is being expanded to enable flights to land directly into Malindi. The government has also commissioned Isiolo International Airport to handle heavy commercial flights and open up the northern part of the country to tourism and other economic benefits. Several air strips leading to tourism hot spots across the country are also under expansion and face-lifts. What is being done to counter poaching and foster wildlife conservation? Kenya’s commitment to stopping poaching has been demonstrated by the government’s destruction of the largest stock-pile of ivory in the world. Kenya, at the end of the year 2015 destroyed over 100 tones of ivory to underline its war against poaching. As such, the government has taken measures to curb poaching with the deployment of more resources including rangers to combat poaching as well as embracing technology in the monitoring of animal populations especially those of threatened species. The campaign includes the promotion of alternative incomes for communities living around game parks and wildlife reserves to ensure they are not a threat to natural habitats and expand the system of direct benefits to locals to include National Parks KENYA, AT THE END OF THE YEAR 2015 DESTROYED OVER 100 TONES OF IVORY TO UNDERLINE ITS WAR AGAINST POACHING
Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #34 2017 Spring Edition 31 ABU DHABI: EVER MORE DIVERSE AND EXCITING The emirate opens its doors to the world with new attractions and promotional activities Abu Dhabi, which is set to welcome the billion Warner Bros. theme park at Yas Island in 2018, is seeing a major push by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority to market the emirate as a destination perfect for leisure vacationing, for both families and couples. The emirate saw a rise of 8% in hotel guests in 2016, with 4.4 million visitors. HE Saif Saeed Ghobash Director General, TCA Abu Dhabi VISIT ABU DHABI MOBILE APP WINS AT THE RECENT WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT AWARDS Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has won top honours at the ‘Best Mobile Government Service Awards’ at the World Government Summit Awards for the new, improved version of its Visit Abu Dhabi mobile application. The latest Visit Abu Dhabi app version, which allows users to gain instant access to all that is new in the emirate via their mobile phones and tablets, won top spot in the Tourism category at the prestigious ceremony, which was held in Dubai on Tuesday, February 14 th as part of the World Government Summit 2017 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS CAST NEW LIGHT ON ABU DHABI’S EARLIEST INHABITANTS Remarkable discoveries by archaeologists from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) at ancient sites on the island of Marawah and in Baynunah have revealed new information on Abu Dhabi’s earliest inhabitants, evidencing a rich history stretching back over 7,000 years. Artefacts excavated from a village on the island of Marawah and in Baynunah indicate that during this time, a sophisticated and highly skilled population were able to trade and thrive in challenging conditions and adapt to the changing environment around them. Commenting on the latest discoveries, HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi, said: “These important discoveries signify Abu Dhabi’s advanced construction methods from the Neolithic and the influential role it had in early long-distance maritime trade. The expertise of our team of archaeologists allows us to build a narrative of the Emirate’s development and history, piecing together an intriguing and intricate story of the earliest known inhabitants of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. We are encouraged to assign more excavation works, and our aim is to conduct extensive studies to further understand our ancestors and our land, and our mission is to share these findings with the world” An aerial view of the outline of the Stone Age house found on the island of Marawah © Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority
