- The six coastal counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta have mostly been promoting beach tourism and wildlife safaris.
- Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro said his administration is committed to creating opportunities for the tourism sector to ensure it thrives.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Tourism stakeholders at the Coast have urged the Kenya Tourism Board and the county governments to package and promote cultural tourism.
The six coastal counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta have mostly been promoting beach tourism and wildlife safaris, forgetting the region’s deep cultural heritage that can be packaged as a tourism product.
Dr Sam Ikwaye, the Coast executive of Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers said neighbouring Uganda has been able to package cultural tourism.
“They have been able to preserve their culture and, amazingly, they are now packaging it properly and exporting it as a tourist attraction. Uganda has made very good inroads in Kenya, and we don't look at them as competitors. We look at them as brothers,” Ikwaye said.
“When you travel to Uganda, they have maintained such a cultural attitude. They are now coming to Kenya to showcase what Uganda can offer. We now need to emulate this.”
He spoke at the end of a four-day Uganda cultural and culinary festival that was held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa.
Uganda, through its consulate in Mombasa, organised the four-day festival in Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa to attract both Kenyan and international visitors to their nation.
“We hope that the county governments will pick up the challenge but,most importantly, we are looking forward to the national government allocating more resources to KTB to be able to do aggressive marketing,” Ikwaye said.
Uganda consul general in Mombasa Paul Mukumbya said the four-day festival was a success.
“Wherever we have been, we have had a very high turn-up of people: corporate Kenyans, those working with banks, business owners, and employees of businesses. So, the objective of showcasing Uganda to the corporate community of the Kenya Coast was achieved,” he said.
He said they wanted to show Kenyans and other international tourists a glimpse of what Uganda has to offer in tourism.
“We want to entice them to come and visit Uganda, and experience and enjoy these products first-hand,” Mukumbya said.
They also introduced golf tourism in partnership with the Kenyan Coast.
Over 80 amateur golfers from Kenya and Uganda took part in the inaugural open tournament that was held at the Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi.
“This festival has been very successful. We thank our partners, the county governments of Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi, and all the private sector and the people who have come to experience and enjoy this festival,” Mukumbya said.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro said his administration is committed to creating opportunities for the tourism sector to ensure it thrives.
“The festival has provided both Uganda and Kilifi county an opportunity to showcase their rich culture and promote regional tourism,” he said.
Last year, Kenya received about 200,000 Ugandan visitors while at least 500,000 Kenyans crossed the border to Uganda for tourism and business.