Western Kenya Circuit Angles for Bigger Tourism Package

Business Daily (Nairobi)

Frankline Sunday

22 July 2011

Players in the Western Kenya tourism circuit are betting on renewed investor confidence and increased marketing to grow their share of the multi-billion shilling industry.

Western Kenya is diverse. It has lush green highlands, the tropical rain forest of Kakamega, the great water expanse of Lake Victoria, which is the source of the Nile, among other attractions.

Over the last three years, Kisumu City, the largest urban centre in this region, has woken up to the area’s potential, with travel agencies opening up branches and hotel operators constructing facilities to cash in on the changing fortunes.

Kisumu has been described as languid, sultry, easy-going and friendly. Sitting on the edge of Lake Victoria, this city is the third largest in Kenya and is the hub of the expansive Western circuit.

According to Mr Nobert Otieno, the CEO of Lake Victoria Tourism Association, the potential for the Western region which, among others, covers the lake basin and the entire tourism activities inside and around the Winam Gulf has barely been scratched. “Western Kenya tourism circuit has the capacity to outpace other areas in the country,” he said.

“We have over 170 known tourism sites and our historical sites outnumber other circuits in the country.”

Poor marketing

Over the years, however, the region has had a meagre share of Kenya’s tourism because of poor marketing and low investor confidence. But things took a turn for the better when it emerged that a descendant of the region was running for the US presidency. President Barack Obama’s election created a lot of curiosity in the world about his origins and Nyanza was thrown onto the map, with his father’s Kogelo village becoming a buzzword.

Despite the windfall that the Obama factor brought to the Western circuit, local entrepreneurs were not well prepared and did not move fast enough. “People were slow to react to the influx of tourists and before we knew it, the buzz had died down and we were left regretting lost opportunity.” This experience spurred local entrepreneurs to act and in the same year, the Lake Victoria Tourism Association was formed. The association is a made up of hotel industry operators, travel agencies and government officials and its main aim is to aggressively market tourism and make the sub sector the primary revenue earner for the region.

The association is working closely with the Kenya Tourism Board and the Ministry of National Heritage to promote the region’s cultural sites and encourage local investments in the industry. The efforts are starting to bear fruit. Since 2009, almost a dozen new hotels have sprung up in Kisumu alone as local investors move to cash in on the opportunities. Bed capacity in the lakeside city has increased from 500 last year to over 1,400 this year and the number is going up.

Investor confidence

Hezron McObewa is the general manager and owner of Le Savanna Hotels franchise which currently runs two country lodges and a tourism agency in Western Kenya. According to Dr McObewa, domestic tourism in the region has picked up, buoying investor confidence. “People nowadays want to take weekend expeditions away from their homes to relax and see different scenes.

“This has led to the setting up of several facilities in the region especially those that target low end to medium income earners and are currently operating at 95-100 per cent occupancy,” he says.Dr McObewa is about to complete a 24-room hotel in Kisumu which is to be commissioned this month. The investor is also setting up a 12 -bed resort in Miwani, Ramula, to be opened in August to tap into the growing domestic market. The new Kisumu International Airport has also created a lot of excitement within and around the county with many speculating on the gains that will be registered with the new facility. But Dr McObewa says the area lacks infrastructure to tap foreign revenue.

“Kisumu city is in dire need of conference facilities and this is one factor that might limit the region business tourism, development” he says.

“Currently, only Tom Mboya Labour College has the capacity to host a huge conference gathering. “

He said there was need to set up more high-end hotels where travellers could stay if their flights were delayed or wait for connecting flights.

His sentiments are echoed by Mr Otieno who says the people need more information on how to utilise their proximity to the international airport for economic empowerment.

“Unless this is done, the airport will not be of any economic significance to the people and to the region,” he says.

“The responsibility rests with Provincial Commissioners, MPs, chiefs and councillors who should hit the ground to tell the people that opportunities abound. “Unfortunately we are entering election season and issues like these don’t get much attention during this time,” he said. KTB has also been faulted for not properly marketing the Western circuit.

“KTB markets coastal and eastern circuits more and this creates the impression that there is nothing much on this side of the country,” said Mr Otieno. He cited the world renowned Maasai Mara game reserve which is closer to Kisumu both by road and by air compared to Nairobi and Mombasa but this is not the impression created.

Mr Otieno also claims the association’s efforts to market the Western circuit was also facing stiff opposition from tycoons and Italian resort owners at the coast who fear losing their market share.

“These proprietors are really fighting us because they think we will eat into their market share,” he says.

“This notion is mistaken because when tourists visit Kenya they have the destinations they want to visit in mind,” he adds.

He also accused some local investors and politicians of frustrating the industry by holding on to land earmarked for development.

“There have been plans to set up several five star resorts on the shores of Lake Victoria but some politicians who own the land around the lake are refusing to let go, says Mr Otieno.”

The government, through the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage is moving to package and brand the region’s cultural heritage to properly market it as a unique destination.

Speaking to the Business Daily, Mr Kenneth Otieno, provincial culture director for Nyanza Province stated that the region could harness massive revenue if proper branding is done.

“In the past, there hasn’t been much effort to market culture until four years ago when the Obama factor came in,” he says.

“There is however, need to showcase our culture as a package on its own, including aspects of language, tradition and cuisine.”

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