Are many guys here listening to Jaggernaut or we are just looking for an opportunity to throw insults?
1. Tourists from West are critical. We have depended on them for many years. That is a FACT.
2. Kenya has always acted when their security is at stake. In fact, one of the reason that led to our army going to Somalia was that attack on a tourist on our soil. It was one of the incident that the then Interior Minister gave when he briefed the nation. FACT
3. Alshabaab has cited the fact that we are in Somalia for their continued attack. Check on point number 2 why we are there in the first place. Check why and where Osama attacked us in 1998. The interests of the WEST. FACT.
4. For the past few years, about 10 years or so, West have been issuing travel advisories against our country. This was one of the biggest battles Kibaki, Raila and Balala kept fighting with 4 many times. Kibaki even had to go to Mara and mingle with wazungus to assure the west the country is safe. Even when a tourist was attacked, they issued. Even after 98 bombing, they issued. All this time, we need to appreciate the reason why terrorists finds us an attractive target is our perceived friendship with the West. FACT.
5. We could have received money to fight crime from them and mismanaged it. They could be angry that we used the money badly. FACT. But when was the money given, who used it badly? Is the current regime then to blame for the deteriorating security? How comes then UK never came down hard on us as they have done now? Given that no tourist has been attacked as it happened before, why is their current reaction as it is? Could it be something more than security? As our allies in the terror war, how are they supporting us in view of increased threats?
6. Borrowing from number 5, if they are being withdrawn due to security, the rot won't be sorted tonight. Until we put our house in order for them to come back, what will the people who feed from tourism be eating? Alternatives should be sort and fast. That too is a FACT.
7. But again, security might not be the only reason. So what if the other reasons remain unknown or are not sorted as fast, what again will the tourism sector do? DIVERSIFY. That too is a fact. Any business model build on one basket is risky and unsustainable. The stocks guru always tells us not to put all our eggs in basket. Foreign policy is capitalistic in nature. It's vested on interests. So whether they keep coming or not, this industry will have to think on diversification for it to be stable in the long run. Think about this. Suppose security is so nice in Kenya but the countries we depend on under-went an economic downtime such that their people are not able to spend on tourism, what would we do as a country with our beautiful hotels, flora and fauna? Maybe what has been happening to us for the past few years is a lesson to us.
8. Those laughing off the 20bob tourism surely don't know the potential of this country. In a country that is so poor, do you wonder how Bob is able to have 20billion cash flow lying in his company bank account? That is the power of 1bob. Go and read what 1bob per sms is doing to their books. A country whose banks are all in billion shillings profits? A nation that almost always over-subscribes IPO? A country who alcohol industry is the biggest in the region? There are billions of shillings in this country. We just need to think creatively. Domestic tourism may not replace the foreign flows soon, but for a fact it's under utilized. The issue of that we don't visit Kenya because it's home is all in the mind. And a factor of pricing. Why should it be cheaper to fly to Dubai than spend a weekend at a 5star hotel in coast? Have you guys thought of the crowds we seen in Kenyatta beach on popular holidays?
Our security MUST be sorted. Not just for the sake of tourists, but for our sake too. In fact none of them have been affected in the near past as we have been affected. This sorting will take time. Maybe weeks, maybe months. What do we do in the meantime? In the interest of building a sustainable sector, we must stop as a matter of urgency relying on one region alone. The issue of our tourism hurting every time a certain region catches fever is unsustainable. Na haijaanza saab hii. It has been there. And our house must be put in order.
We don't have to throw unprintable words all the time just because of our political backings. By the way, the subject of this thread shows a very wrong mentality towards the problem at hand.