The Migori county government will allocate Sh100 million for building a cultural site.
Through the County Integrated Development Plan which rans for five years, the amount will be used to build a cultural Tourist Resource Centre at the famous Thimlich Ohinga, which is a UNESCO World heritage site.
Members of the public who gave their views on the plan said the tourist attraction site in Nyatike subcounty has been under-marketed or overlooked.
The dry-stone walled settlement was acknowledged by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site in 2020.
Thimlich Ohinga, among others features an array of traditional architecture, art, and culture, which serves as great sources of tourist attraction and revenue stream.
Migori tourism development officers Collette Odhiambo and Jacob Ademba said the move will roll out an aggressive marketing of some of its rich cultural and archeological sites to attract more tourists.
"In the plan, the construction will be done in three phases within the next five years starting the next financial year,'' Odhiambo said.
The two said the site has been neglected but it stands a good chance to attract both national and international tourists.
“We have a plan to transform the site as among top 10 tourist destinations in the country," Ademba said.
According to the plan, a land at a cost of Sh4 million has been secured adjacent to the site to construct the Tourist Resource Centre.
They were speaking at the end of a five-day training of hotel owners and service providers organised by the Tourism Fund in Migori.
Tourism Fund Board Trustee Biko Gwendo and Tourism Fund Director in charge of resource mobilisation and strategy Eden Odhiambo said the training was aimed at boosting local tourism.
They said while Homa Bay county has Ruma National Park and nearby Narok has Maasai Mara National Park, Migori should capitalise on Thimlich Ohinga to leverage on the sector.
Currently, some of the tourist attraction sites Migori boasts of but are under-marketed include the sandy white beaches on the shores of Muhuru Bay, and Macalder gold mines, one of the biggest sites in East Africa.
Then there is Gogo Falls in Uriri subcounty, Got Kweru- the religious pilgrimage site of the Legio Maria sect, Mugabo caves in Senye and Chinato caves in Nyatike and Kuria East subcounty.
Other key little-known tourism markets are Komotobo crying stone in Kuria East, a beach holiday in Sori-Karungu and Muhuru Bay, Business and conference and cultural tourism, and diverse community tourism.
Odhiambo said they want as many tourists as possible both from Kenya, East Africa, and the rest of Africa and across the globe to visit Kenya in big numbers in the post-Covid era to exploit scenic beauty.
