The government is keen on revamping tourism attraction sites in Taita Taveta county to boost the sector.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said the state will embark on marketing the little-known sites to attract more domestic and foreign tourists.
Speaking during a meeting with tourism stakeholders in the Mwatate on Wednesday, Mutua pointed out that the county has a lot of untapped tourism potential despite her rich history dating back to the precolonial era.
“There is a lot of potential, which has not been exploited to the optimum to spur local and foreign tourism growth. We are therefore embarking on a serious campaign to market the sites,” the CS said.
Taita Taveta county is bestowed with key tourism attraction sites that include the expansive twin Tsavo National Park and wildlife sanctuaries.
Others are lodges and Vuria Hills, which is arguably the most preferred hiking and the highest peak in the Coast region.
The county also boasts the lucrative battlefield tourism owing to the existence of the World War I battlefield sites.
Taita Taveta was a battlefield for the WWI East African campaign between German and British troops.
The WWI was fought in the region from 1914 to 1918.
The county has one of the best sites in Kenya, running from the precolonial era with rich and untold stories of past generations.
The National Museums of Kenya in 2015 gazetted 15 areas in the county as sites of historical interest and significance.
They include Salaita Hill, Voi Commonwealth War Graves, Indian Commonwealth War Graves, Kenyatta Caves in Wundanyi and First Old District Commissioners’ House in Taveta.
Others are the German Fortress, Maktau Picket Hill, Indian Military cemetery, Taveta ACK Holy Trinity Church Mahoo and Mahoo Pastor’s Residence.
To market such sites, Mutua said his ministry will collaborate with the devolved unit to map out potential tourism products and sites for development and marketing.
He said this is among interventions put in place by the government to attract tourism visits and create employment opportunities in the country.
“Plans are underway to map out and revamp all the sites across the country. The bigger goal is to market Kenya as a key tourist destination,” Mutua said.
The state is working on promoting investments in adventure, relaxation, sports, conference and medical tourism among others in a bid to bolster the number of foreign tourists from the current 1.4 million to 200 million over the next 10 years.
Mutua said increased visits will boost foreign earnings to the country from tourism, which is Kenya's second largest source of foreign exchange earner after agriculture.
The CS said an improved tourism sector will go a long way in providing employment to hundreds of jobless Kenyans. Currently, the sector employs at least 1.1 million people in the country directly and indirectly.
Governor Andrew Mwadime welcomed the collaborative approach to revamp the sites, noting that the county has a potential of creating hundreds of jobs from the sector if all the full potential is explored.
He said that all the tourism sites and spots should be branded and fully marketed for the region to reap all the benefits of tourism and create more job opportunities for the residents.
