Business tourism is one
of the growing segments in tourism industry in Kenya. In July 2010, a
preliminary research by MICE secretariat showed that business tourists to Kenya
spent on average US$ 260 a day compared with a leisure tourist average spend of
US$ 80 a day. The country has well known conference and exhibition venues
ranging from intimate bush hideaways to large scale, hi-tech convention
centres.
It is so obvious that
an ordinary Kenyan will see the 2nd Annual Devolution Conference in
Kisumu as just a meeting of government officials, but to me I see obvious immense
growth both directly and indirectly of the county. Put into considerations the multiplier
effects of that meeting, the conference will not only benefit the hotels which
at the moment are fully occupied but also deepen the pockets of fishermen and
vegetable vendors around the city. Talk of supply chain and there you are it’s
indeed a boost to growth of the county.
My only concern is how aggressive
are we when it comes to securing opportunities for such conferences. This time
not the national conferences but rather the international conferences. This I leave
to the National Convention Bureau. Is there existence of such a thing? What of the
bed occupancy rate for travelers who are always willing to travel in the occasion
of such mega events? Can the hoteliers answer whether Nairobi (our capital city)
and its surrounding can host such capacity of the stream of foreign visitors? In
the aforementioned research, the secretariat was looking at a growing 5000 bed
capacity in the 3-5 star within five kilometers of KICC in Nairobi. Heard of world
cup 2010 in South Africa? I will dare you get the facts about the direct and
the indirect benefits the country harvested out that event. Turning point for tourism
in South Africa is the sentence to summarize all that.
I will speak with a
loud voice not to make some noise but to remind the “big fish” players in business
tourism that our current status in terms of preparedness of hosting mega events
leaves a lot to be desired.
I conclude by asking, Are
we there yet?
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