Tourism Ministry working on portal to list Kenya's hidden gems - CS Miano

The CS explained that the portal will have advanced technological features of navigation systems such as GPS to make it more convenient to access the locations. 

She, however, noted that the portal will be working by the end of June as the Kenya Tourism Board is working on feeding the portal with data. Established under the Tourism Act of 2011, the Board aims to market Kenya as a top attraction destination. 

"The Kenya Tourism Board is mandated with promoting and marketing Kenya's tourism and that includes domestic tourism. There are a lot of hidden gems in the country that Kenyans don't know," she told NTV's Fixing the Nation. 

"Each county is well endowed with tourism facilities and we're working on a portal to showcase all these things. We're currently working on what has been mapped."

During the interview, CS Miano also touched on the proposal to increase park fees, citing that it is long overdue. 

"Park fees have not changed in the past 15 years. For instance, a local tourist pays Nairobi National Park Ksh.430, and an international tourist pays $43 (Ksh.5,562). The cost of conservation, and managing the roads has gone up. There is a case that we should review the prices," she noted. 

The CS also responded to concerns regarding customer experience at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

She explained that a committee had been formed following the last Cabinet session to sort out the impending issues at the nation's airline. 

"In a cabinet meeting held in Kakamega, this received a lot of attention. A committee was formed and given 7 days to sort out issues at JKIA," she added. 

"We started with specific activities including using scanners instead of opening the bags, all employees to have a proper name tag and uniform. For the last three weeks, there have been improvements. We do entry and exit interviews with the visitors."