THE Taita Taveta government has lined up new tourism products to attract more visitors.
The products include home stay tourism, commemoration of 100 years since the first World War
and an annual marathon at Lake Jipe dam, Governor John Mruttu said.
World War I was fought between 1914 and 1918.
Addressing journalists at Sarova Taita Hills Game lodge on Saturday, he said the county has for a long time depended on Taita Hills Sanctuary to attract tourists.
“For the last 50 years we have depended on that single product but now we have different items," Mruttu said.
He said part of World War I was fought between Taveta and Taita lodges, a site he said the county will use to attract tourists interested in
war history.
Mruttu said the county will
put up recreational facilities and structures at Lake Jipe.
He said by the end of 2015 his government will organise an annual marathon from Maktau to Lake Jipe, crowned by ball games at the beach and a beach party.
“It is the only place you can swim with elephants and hippopotamuses,” Mruttu said.
The home stays tourism will involve visitors staying in residents' houses instead of hotels, the governor said.
Tourists will learn about Kenyan culture while staying in the homes, Mruttu said.
