This National Tourism Strategy is a culmination of extensive stakeholder involvement and participation. It is also a fulfillment of the Tourism Act 2011, Section 3. The essence of the strategy is to address national issues confronting the Kenya tourism sector and focus the players in the sector on sustainable tourism. For long, the sector has been characterized by low and high seasons resulting in some instances hotels and businesses closing down or cutting heavily on staff during the low season. This results in underutilized facilities, infrastructure, capacities, and human capital.
A comprehensive SWOT analysis brought out some pertinent issues. These issues have been given critical attention. They have been grouped and addressed systematically. Challenges to be addressed include:
- Challenge 1: Reinforce the Kenya tourism industry as a high quality service sector
- Challenge 2: Better position Kenya as the number 1 tourism destination in the world
- Challenge 3: Make the tourism industry part of the knowledge economy
- Challenge 4: Develop Kenya tourism in a sustainable manner
- Challenge 5: Increase the value generated from available resources
- Challenge 6: Create environment conducive to tourism businesses
- Challenge 7: Create environment conducive to tourism businesses
- Challenge 8: Investing in Tourism Infrastructure
- Challenge 9: Ensuring an Efficient Transportation System
In the National Tourism Strategy, the major areas of concern have been highlighted and the factors that will assist in the development, management, marketing, and regulation of the tourism sector in Kenya.
The stakeholders together with the implementing organs identified five thematic areas that will require a systematic and guided way of addressing in the next five years. These thematic areas are:
- The need to have an effective product development and deployment approach
- The need to enhance the marketing of Kenyan tourism products
- The need to address inadequate financing and improve the investment environment
- The need to be more scientific through research and information management
- The need to focus on human capital, legal, policy and institutional framework
These strategic themes have been comprehensively addressed in this National Tourism Strategy 2013 to 2018 with an overriding philosophy of a dignified nation geared towards wealth creation. Further, the sector will emphasize on local tourism to reach a 55% bed occupation by year 2018. This will ensure the tourism facilities are well utilized to reduce costs of running them and stabilize the industry against international upheavals. At the same time, the international arrivals are projected to grow from below 2 million per year to 3 million per year.