Tourism sector gets Sh5bn to aid Post Covid-19 recovery

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 7-Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani has proposed an allocation of Sh 3.2 billion for the tourism fund and Sh.1.8 billion for tourism promotion as a way of tourism recovery post-Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Yatani, Kenya’s economy demonstrated remarkable resilience to the Covid-19 shock in 2020 and a staged recovery in 2021.

“Following the easing of Covid -19 restrictions, reopening of the economy as well as targeted stimulus interventions by the government, the economy registered a strong recovery of 9.9pcin the third quarter of 2021,” noted Yatani.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the government’s strategy to revive the tourism sector had yielded positive results.

The earnings from the sector had increased by 74pc from Sh.94.0 billion in 2013 to Sh.163.6 billion in 2019. Tourist arrivals had also increased from 1.6 million to 2.0 million during the same period.

“To further accelerate economic recovery and improve livelihoods, the Government will continue to implement and expand the economic recovery program through a sound macroeconomic policy framework that aims to enhance the transformation of the key economic sectors for broad-based sustainable recovery by promoting agricultural productivity, growth in manufacturing, environmental conservation, and water supply, support tourism recovery and ensure sustainable land use and management,” added Yatani.