Kenya to prioritize convention tourism to spice up hospitality sector

Tourists travel to Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on October 18, 2020. (Xinhua / Li Yan)
FILE PHOTO: Tourists travel in the Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. (Xinhua / Li Yan)

Kenya plans to make conference tourism a priority to boost the hospitality sector, a senior government official said Monday evening.

Najib Balala, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, told journalists in Nairobi that the country’s tourism sector has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Balala found that the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) market is a resilient sector as it encompasses meetings of people from different economic sectors and can help the country reduce its reliance on beach and safari tourism.

The global MICE segment has been forced to adapt to the pandemic. Some events shifted online, while others were postponed due to global travel restrictions, socially distant protocols, and bans on mass gatherings.

Jacinta Nzioka, CEO of the state-run Kenya National Convention Bureau (KNCB), said Kenya will position itself as an ideal destination for regional and international meetings.

Nzioka said Kenya’s strategic location and regional air transport hub status should help the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment play a more prominent role in the tourism sector.

According to the KNCB, conference tourism has the potential to generate huge returns for the country due to its high impact on local host communities.