KECOBAT
today received recognition and applause from Kenya’s East African Affairs, Commerce and
Tourism Cabinet Secretary, Mrs Phyllis Kandie. On her official twitter handle, @Tourism_KE,
the Cabinet Secretary appreciated the excellent work the organization has been
doing to promote Community Based Tourism in Kenya.
She was
impressed by the unrelenting work KECOBAT was doing to diversify tourism. In
addition, CS wanted to know the response of Kenyans towards the development of Community
Based Tourism in the country. KECOBAT responded that, according to their
findings,
Kenyans were very receptive and positive though the growth and development was often
donor dependant. KECOBAT also mentioned that the defunct Tourism Trust Fund (TTF)
played a major role and contributed phenomenally in the development of a number
of Community Based Tourism Enterprises in Kenya.
On a
following different tweet, Mrs. Kandie encouraged the organization to keep up the
good work and urged them to continue informing Kenyans on ways to appreciate
CBT and further educate them on benefits of CBT. She added that through this, the
government, private sectors players would work together with an aim of enhancing
livelihoods through tourism. This is what KECOBAT has stood for since it was
launched in 2003.
The government
is looking forward towards diversifying tourism in the wake of the tourism slump
at the Kenyan coast due to the recent past insecurity attacks. Together with
the Directorate of Tourism, KECOBAT has spearheaded the development of
homestays one of the niche products that makes Community Tourism. Through its
hard work, KECOBAT developed Criteria and Guidelines for Homestays in Kenya, a
document that is currently owed by the government who went ahead to publish it
for Homestays Operators.
In this
year’s World Tourism Day Celebration, the organization has partnered with the
Ministry of Tourism and other institutions in the tourism sector to celebrate
the event on 27th of this month. This year’s WTD theme is ‘Tourism and Community Development.’
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