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Kenya expects business conferences to revive tourism

Xinhua, May 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya's government plans to promote business conferences as a strategy to revive the tourism sector which has fallen victim to terror activities in the country, an official has said.

Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Phyllis Kandie, said "business tourism is a key pillar in the strategy for reviving the tourism sector."

She made the remarks during the inauguration of the newly- appointed board of Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), a landmark building in the capital Nairobi.

"While traditional holidaymakers will always comprise a mainstay of the tourism sector, meetings, incentive travels, conferences, and exhibitions or business tourism promises to introduce a whole new dimension to the industry in this country," she said.

Kenya currently ranks the second among African nations in hosting business conferences, only after South Africa, Kandie said, noting that the country is working on the construction of major convention centers, which, when completed, will enable Kenya to take the number one slot.

The KICC is to hold two international meetings late this year, including the World Public Relations Forum in November -- the first time to take place in Africa, and the World Trade Organization Conference in December.

The alleged "meeting industry" has been given priority to in the country's economic development blueprint.

On the same occasion, Omingo Magara, KICC's new chairman, said he was excited about taking the challenge of guiding Kenya's ambitions in business-related tourism.

"To attain this goal, the industry must deploy creative ideas of attracting the tourists who will mix business meetings with holiday," he said.

KICC's CEO, Fred Simiyu, said the convention center is working to make it Africa's "premier destination for meetings, incentive travels, conferences and exhibitions."

"This year we target revenues of 10.2 million U.S. dollars through business conference1 and already we have over 8.2 million dollars," Simiyu said. Endi