Kenya has set aside a half a billion shillings to help the tourism sector recover from the effects of the Coronavirus outbreak which is now posing a real threat to global economies.
Since the outbreak of the deadly virus in Wuhan, China to its spread across the world, many countries have sealed their boarders, suspended flights and many sporting events have been affected too including Italy’s Serie A league.
Italy is most affected country after China which is the epicenter of the pandemic..
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Mr. Najib Balala said that part of these funds will be used to market and restore confidence to ensure that Kenya remains a preferred tourism destination in the world.
Part of it will also be spent in Coronavirus recovery strategy in key source markets domestically.
“We have set aside Sh500 million for the sector as part of our post Coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery plan,” Mr Balala said.
The minister was addressing tourism industry stakeholders at a meeting in Nairobi which brought together all the stake holders and major players in the tourism industry including hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents, and airline representatives.
The meeting was convened to discuss government’s preparedness in relation to the sector following crisis brought by the COVID-19.
“We remain committed to ensure that COVID-19 does not get into the country, the reason we have formed a task force to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the disease,” Balala added.
The government last week set up an isolation centre at Mbagathi Hospital after the public uproar over fears of the virus presence in the country. More isolation wards for COVID-19 will be set up, at least in every county.
The Ministry of Health is in the process of overseeing the training of 5,000 doctors and nurses to ensure that the country is well prepared in case the pandemic strikes.
This comes after Kenya was selected as the hub for CDC Africa, which ensures that the country is at the centre of eliminating the deadly virus.
Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) Chairman Mohamed Hersi who attended the Balala led meeting said they are to work collaboratively with the government to ensure that the sector does come to its knees because of the virus.
They also called on Kenyans to avoid fear mongering and spreading of false information about the disease.
Kenya has not reported any positive Coronavirus case but the tourism industry has been hit hard due to the global nature of the pandemic which has seen key source markets in Europe and Asia are reducing travels due to travel bans and suspended flights.
