admin_county April 24, 2019

Over 426000 tourists visited Hell’s Gate,Mt Longonot and Lake Nakuru parks last year

Over 426,000 tourists were recorded last year in Hell’s Gate, Mt Longonot and Lake Nakuru National Parks.

This was revealed today during the Nakuru County Tourism Association forum, chaired by Tourism and Wildlife CS Hon. Najib Balala.

During the forum, Deputy Governor Dr Eric Korir noted that Nakuru County offers various aspects of tourism including medical, religious, film, sports, Agricultural and wildlife.

He added that political instability and the pricing of the hotels are the largest determinants of the number of tourists who visit any destination.

He further thanked the Kenya Wildlife Service for helping with Human-Wildlife conflict situations but also asked for a follow up in the compensation of the victims.

“The County Government is working with the County security team and the Tourism Police Unit to ensure all the destinations and hotels are secure for our visitors,” Dr Korir said.

In his remarks, CS Balala challenged hoteliers to increase the number of rooms per hotel, stating that the biggest hotel in Kenya has only 300 rooms.

He also commended the marketing of Nakuru as a tourist destination, spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Tourism.

“We encourage consultation between the National and County Governments in all matters tourism. You can be sure of our support going forward,” CS Balala said.

The CS also assured the stakeholders of security in their establishments noting that the appointment of former Inspector General Joseph Boinnet as CAS Tourism, will boost the security docket.

The Department of Trade and Tourism has set up a vibrant program aimed at marketing Nakuru as the ideal tourist attraction.

Trade and Tourism CECM Raymond Komen said the Department will continue to market Nakuru and explore tourism with the objective of growing the socio-economic aspect of the residents.