This archive report was first published on 26 August 2020.
On August 25, 2020, Kenya made history by becoming the first country to be awarded the recommended status of the Safer Tourism Resilience Seal by Rebuilding Travels, a global body.
The tourism agency praised Kenya's commitment to creating a step-by-step process for a careful and safe reopening of the tourism sector, which had been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The Kenyan Ministry of Tourism has demonstrated that it understands that tourism surety involves training, education, investments in software, and the understanding that security/surety is not a simplistic discipline," Rebuilding Travels noted.
Kenya's Tourism CS, Najib Balala, acknowledged the recognition, stating that the country was determined to revive the tourism sector. "On behalf of my country, we are very grateful for the recognition. It has not been easy, but we have to be optimistic and think outside the box to stay competitive," he said.
The global body further noted that the Ministry had created a safer tourism product that demonstrated to the visitor that the nation was doing everything possible to create a safe, secure, and healthy environment.
Among the measures taken by the government include the creation and updating of its health and surety protocols on a timely and regional basis, following international social distancing guidelines both for staff and visitors.
Kenya's achievement comes on the heels of receiving the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) recognition on July 1, 2020, for adopting the global health and hygiene standardized protocols dubbed 'Safe Travels' in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
