Corporate News
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho joins residents in a procession along Moi
Avenue in Mombasa to mark the beginning of the Mombasa International
Cultural Festival on August 21, 2014. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA
GROUP
By Xinhua
In Summary
Security has been beefed up in Kenya's coastal city
of Mombasa as an international cultural festival kicked off on Thursday
to boost the tourism sector, which has been hit by insecurity.
The event is expected to attract about 40,000 people, among them locals and international and domestic tourists.
Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said
security had been beefed up around city and its environs to ensure both
local and foreign tourists attending the festival are safe.
Mr Marwa said more than 300 security officers had been deployed to Mombasa to ensure everything goes on as planned.
Mombasa County Governor Hassan Joho said his
government was taking a central role in revamping the tourism industry,
adding that the event will put Mombasa on the international map not only
as a beach holiday destination, but also full of culture and diverse
attractions.
"We should expect a lot of family activities,
cultural dances, cuisines. There will also be exhibitors showcasing
their products. We have invited a lot of stakeholders that include the
business community of Mombasa to participate," Mr Joho told
participants.
Reviving tourism
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterer
(KAHC) Executive Director Sam Ikwaye said the cultural festival is key
in marketing the country globally.
Hundred of local and foreign tourists are expected
to flock to the city to explore cultural activities. He said his
organisation was optimistic that more stakeholders would join in to
support the initiative.
"It's a good initiative that we hope will play a
major role to assist in the revival of the sector that has been hit by
travel advisories issued by traditional tourist sources," said Mr
Ikwaye.
Mr Ikwaye said the four-day event will boost tourism, especially the domestic market.
The major scheduled events — which include cultural
dances, henna painting, swimming competition and other coastal cultural
product exhibitions — will be held at Fort Jesus, Swahili Centre and
Mama Ngina Drive gardens.
He said the cultural festival will mark the introduction of a new product into the Mombasa tourism market.
Mr Joho said Mombasa County had been a beach
destination for a long time and the county was now leveraging on other
unique selling propositions to change the tourism landscape of Mombasa
from leisure to culture.
He said the county was also taking new measures to
enhance Mombasa's attraction, including constructing new roads,
increasing water supply in the region and cleaning and beautifying the
city.
No comments :
Post a Comment