Kenya wants tourism development master plan

(eTN) – Stakeholders in the tourism industry yesterday met in Nairobi to discuss a number of pressing issues, but one highlighted to this correspondent was the absence of a tourism master plan, which according to regular sources from the Kenyan capital had gone “AWOL (absent without leave).”

While it was ascertained overnight that such a master plan did exist some time back, in fact comprising several volumes, no update or revision seems to have been worked on for the past 10 years or so. This has caused sections of the stakeholder community concerns, as in spite of recent record arrivals and revenues for the year 2010 and a present year increase of over 15 percent already, the industry could, according to these sources, make greater and more focused and determined progress if the goals and objectives of the sector, as well as the ways and means towards attaining those goals, would be clearly outlined.

The absence of such a master plan, however, seems not to have put off ongoing and future investments in the hospitality sector, where in Nairobi alone, over the next two years, some 8 new hotels are due to come online, including some major global brand names until now conspicuously absent from Kenya.