Tourism ministry sets aside Ksh.500M for post coronavirus recovery plan

The Tourism Ministry has set aside Ksh.500 million for its post Coronavirus (Covid-19) recovery plan.

CS Najib Balala made the announcement during a tourism stakeholders meeting in Nairobi that brought together hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents, and airline representatives.

“Part of this money will be used to restore destination confidence to ensure that Kenya remains as a preferred travel destination globally while the rest will be used for the post coronavirus recovery strategy in all our key source market,” he said.

“The Government is prepared and committed to ensure that Covid-19 does not get into the country a reason why President Uhuru Kenyatta formed a task force to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the disease,” he added.

Despite the fact that Kenya has not reported any coronavirus case, the tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors.

This is due to the global nature of the coronavirus crisis, especially with key source markets of tourists –Europe and Asia–reducing travel.

Stakeholders have expressed confidence that the government is working to ensure that coronavirus does not spread into the country.

Apart from the isolation centre at Mbagathi Hospital, every county is expected to have an isolation ward for Covid-19.

Currently, the Ministry of Health is overseeing the training of 5,000 doctors and nurses to ensure that the country is well prepared in case the pandemic strikes.

Kenya has also been selected as the hub for CDC Africa which ensures that the country is at the centre of eliminating the disease.

During the meeting on Thursday, Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) Chairman Mohamed Hersi said stakeholders are ready to work collaboratively with the government to ensure that the industry remains at the top.