Ruto vows to erase tourism bottlenecks following dialogue with hoteliers

President William Ruto on Sunday night, revealed that his administration is undertaking every effort to boost tourism in the country.

In a televised town hall meeting with residents and stakeholders of the coastal city of Mombasa, the Head of State was tasked by Mohammed Hersi, the past chairman of Kenya Tourism Federation to express the government's commitment to improve the sector.

Hersi implored Ruto to ensure that Kenya Airways, the country's national carrier does not collapse, and sink into debt. He also raised questions about the difficulty local and foreign investors face while looking for beach plots for tourism investments.

"When you got Diani in Kwale today, there were parcels of land still empty. Many people allotted these parcels of land at independence are not using them," claimed Hersi.

After finding Kenya untenable, he decried how investors have fled to other destinations like Zanzibar. In his view, tourism is a vehicle available to the government in the creation of jobs for Kenyans.

Heris further disclosed that the Pollmans Tours Group Director of Operations projected 2.5 million arrivals this year, urging the government to improve the sector and boost the numbers.

"We have struggled for a long time to even hit 2 million. Where I sit with my colleagues, there is no reason why we cannot hit 3.4 million or 4.5 million," he said.

On the national carrier, Hersi said, "Our national carrier despite these challenges is the biggest source of passengers into Kenya. 60 per cent of people coming into Kenya are coming aboard KQ."

He wants the national carrier to be accorded priority in Kenyan main airports such as the Moi International Airport in Kisumu and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

In his explanation, he cited that Ethiopia Airlines is given priority in Ethiopia and British Airlines accorded the same attention at Heathrow Airport in London.

He also requested that international flights landing in Mombasa directly before the COVID-19 pandemic should be allowed to resume their operations. 

Ruto admitted that the national carrier has been troubled, but efforts are underway to restore it. 

"Something needs to be done about Kenya Airways. This is the first year Kenya Airways made a profit. We are still working on it to make it work. It is a work in progress," said Ruto.

When asked about the ban on flights to Mombasa, he stated that any country permitted to operate flights to the city must also allow Kenya the opportunity to fly to their destinations.

In his explanation, he said the government would adopt a reciprocal approach (a quid pro quo), embracing the principle of mutual benefit in cooperating with foreign airlines seeking to land in Mombasa.

Ruto also announced that the government is prioritizing investment in tourism infrastructure across the country. He denied reports that his administration was planning to enter into a deal to sell Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to foreign investors.

"People say I want to sell the airport. Am I a madman? The airport is a strategic government national asset," wondered Ruto.