Whilst it may still be too early to tell, Africas response to COVID-19 was quicker and more comprehensive than any other region globally, and Kenya, in particular, has received praise for its timely response to the pandemic.

As COVID-19 spreads, Kenya, like the majority of African countries, now has no option but to prioritise economic needs to revive its economy that heavily depends on the informal sector, agriculture and tourism.

It is against this backdrop that, earlier last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta emphasised that Kenya must strive to meet certain health and safety irreducible minimums to enable him have the confidence to give the go-ahead to fully re-open the country.

Based on the above, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, through the Cabinet Secretary (CS) Najib Balala, launched a virtual safari live stream the Magical Kenya campaign to showcase game safaris in some of the parks and reserves across the country since 2 June 2020.

The CS has also taken the following steps, which are all effective from 1 July 2020:

The Protocols (which we shall discuss in detail in the second part of this series) aim to achieve (environmentally and socially responsible) institutional, operational and staff preparedness to ensure service provision meets required health and safety guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The stamp will also allow travellers to recognise Kenya as a safe destination once it re-opens and help revive the industry, which has lost approximately KES 80 billion to date and has been one of the worst hit globally following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the above, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is charting one of the most progressive steps in the region to support the revival of the industry to ensure the world and travellers remain connected to Kenya, even during the current COVID-19 lockdown period when there is restricted movement globally.

The above initiatives are particularly relevant as Kenya counts down to 15 July 2020 and 1 August 2020 when it opens its borders to tourists locally and globally, respectively, pursuant to the Presidents directive in his press statement of 6 July 2020.

Whilst we know that you may have concerns on how best to navigate this period, especially with the new protocols in place, we assure you that our team is fully available and happy to assist you, should you require our support.

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Tourism in the new dynamic Kenyas path to revival: Updates from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife (Part 1) - JD Supra