Attempts to market Kenya as a popular tourist destination got even more difficult after the 2010 budget read by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon Uhuru Kenyatta, saw the Ministry of Tourism funds reduce by Kshs. 150 million.
Sources at the Ministry described it as the 'worst' for the ministry that is struggling to woo back visitors after the events of the post-election skirmishes saw the popularity of the country go down significantly.
Last year the ministry was allocated Kshs. 3.1 billion with Kshs. 800 million of this money earmarked for marketing purposes. This decline in funding comes at a time when Kenya is looking forward to becoming one of the leading long haul destinations in the region.
Despite the low funding, the ministry says it is on course with its new campaign strategy to hit the two million mark on arrivals by 2012. The initial target was to achieve three million visitors by that period but events such as the post-election violence and the global economic recession put paid to that attempt.
Efforts are now geared towards reaching out to the new and non-traditional destinations such as Asia and Eastern Europe. There was some good news from the budget reading though - the ministry has been allocated Kshs. 300 million to start off a programme to establish the Kenya Utalii College in Vipingo.
Already the Mombasa campus has started training youth on hospitality related courses. The next phase of the college expansion programme will target Western Kenya before moving to Nakuru and Eldoret. To read more articles like this, visit www.enchanted-landscapes.com