The government through the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is planning to transform national parks in the country.
Speaking in Kwale County during the ongoing Coast Tourism stakeholders conference, Tourism CS Najib Balala said they have already identified 10 park to start with.
“We have a clear strategy of how we are going to transform our national parks so that they can offer more than just lodges. The transformation will include improving the products to enhance tourist experience,” said CS Balala.
The parks include Shimba hills, Tsavo, Amboseli, Nairobi, Nakuru, Aberdare, Sibiloi, Meru among others.
Balala noted that wildlife assistant directors in the specified parks have been instructed to conduct a SWOT analysis before allocating budget to invest in various products that will be identified.
“We want to brand national parks, instead of Kenya alone we can sell Amboseli as a brand, Laikipia as a brand, Shimba hills as a brand etc,” he said.
The CS also urged hotel owners and tourism stakeholders in the coast region to up their game as there was tough competition from the region and clientele had changed overtime.
“The Economy used to be 70% tourism but now we are at less than 30%. We must do something, otherwise somebody else will take our position.” said the CS.
Additional reporting by Joyce Jura
