Tourism
Nairobi City County has developed a tourism policy, which aims to address current challenges, capitalizing on emerging opportunities and promoting a sustainable development within the tourism sector in the city.
The policy will serve as a road map for future development of the tourism sector in Nairobi by providing invaluable insights and recommendations to all stakeholders seeing that tourism serves as a gateway to cultural exchange and it holds the key to unlocking social economic development and opportunities for communities around the world.
Speaking at Charter Hall during a public participation forum, Nairobi County Deputy Director for Tourism Susan Mukuhi noted that the regulatory framework is one of the biggest challenges faced by the tourism industry, adding that the stakeholders have collected data from the industry in order to understand the gaps that are existing.
She maintained that the stakeholders held a lot of meetings, aimed at getting productive contributions and submissions, which they have used in drafting the policy. Mukuhi noted that tourism is a cornerstone of the country’s economy with Nairobi having a lot of development potential for exploration when it comes to the tourism sector.
“The development of the policy will help in making decisions and chart the way forward for tourism, since the objective is to make Nairobi a premier tourism destination,” she said.
Global Premium Consultancy Monitoring and Evaluation Project Officer, Benard Nashon said that tourism plays an important role in Nairobi’s social economic landscape, contributing significantly to economic growth, job creation, community integration and cultural enrichment.
He said that it is imperative to harness the full potential of Nairobi County tourism sector, which continues to evolve into a global metropolis, since the policy seeks to provide a framework to enhance the sustainability, inclusivity and competitiveness of Nairobi’s tourism offerings.
“The rationale behind this policy is grounded in the recognition of Nairobi’s unique strength and imperative to address its existing limitations by strategically developing and diversifying its tourism products including cultural, adventure offerings among others to attract visitors,” he said.
Nashon stated that the policy’s objective is to enhance tourism marketing and promotion efforts including the development of comprehensive marketing strategy, leveraging digital platforms, strategic partnership and campaigns in order to enhance Nairobi’s visibility and appeal to both domestic, international tourists and elevating its profile as a tourist destination.
“As a tourism destination within the central tourist circuit of Kenya, Nairobi is rich in wildlife, culture, entertainment, the Nairobi national park, which provides a unique urban wildlife conservation experience and the city’s hospitality industry with top related hotels catering to international tourists and KICC serving as a premier conference facility and national landmark,” he mentioned.
He noted that for urban tourism to thrive, cities must reposition themselves to remain relevant in an ever-dynamic environment adding that essential factors such as diverse accommodation, security and effective monitoring mechanisms are key in fixing the loose ends.
Nashon said that the tourism department within Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) has been operating without a formal framework, leading to unclear guidelines and vision adding that the 2010 constitution granted county governments control over local tourism and to establish a tourism policy framework to fulfill vision 2030 commitments.
“The policy provides a strategic instrument for tourism development and promotion, ensuring a high end, diverse and unique visitor experience,” he stated.
Nashon disclosed that the mission of the policy is to develop and promote continuous, sustainable and inclusive tourism in Nairobi City County by enhancing the diversification of tourism offerings, implementing robust improvement and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
He said that the global travel and tourism sector rebounded in 2023 contributing to a 9.1 percent increase of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), creating 27 million new jobs globally and the policy had adopted the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) model to scan the tourism environment in Nairobi.
He observed that the proposed thematic areas needed to revitalize the tourism sector include enhancing tourism product development and diversification in the county, to create an enabling legislative and regulatory environment for tourism growth, effective coordination and sector management to enhance tourism experience in Nairobi through effective tourist information, and effective strategies among others.
Nashon said that the Nairobi city county government needs to implement the policy by establishing a county tourism board to provide strategic oversight and coordination of tourism activities, simplifying the licensing of the tourism sector through unified business permit, implement and maintain nationally accepted standards of tourist service among others.