This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
On May 11, 2020, Kenya's Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala announced plans to reopen the tourism sector, which has been severely impacted by global lockdowns aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19.
According to Balala, industry players will convene to formulate guidelines that will help the sector bounce back. The guidelines will be based on protocols announced by the Ministry of Health.
“Together with the ministry of health we will be meeting the stakeholders in hotels and restaurants so we can look at the protocols that have been announced by the ministry of health and how practical and how effective they will be,” said Balala.
The government has set aside Sh500 million to revive the hotel and tourism sector, with plans to use the funds for events to market Kenya once the spread of the virus is contained globally.
Industry players have complained of huge losses caused by refusal by airlines to refund air tickets of flights that were cancelled as a result of the global pandemic, which has claimed more than 250,000 people.
