The month of August 2018 has been a historic month for Kenya with President Uhuru Kenyatta holding talks with POTUS – Donald Trump at the White House and the State House talks with the British Prime Minister Theresa May and her delegation.

There are general calls and steps being made to strengthen relations between the USA and the UK and Kenya. The focus of renewed partnerships between Kenya and the 1st world countries is to ensure maximized opportunities and also to tackle common challenges such as Al Shabab in Somalia. Al Shabab has been a thorn in the flesh for Kenyan Defence and the tourism industry for a while.

It has been 30 years since a British Prime Minister visited Kenya and this is a positive turn of events. The UK has the largest number of incoming tourists to Kenya to date. It shows that Kenya is not only a top tourist destination but also a top business destination.

In the USA, increased investment was agreed upon and Bechtel Corp is discussing the building of a 6 lane expressway from Nairobi to Mombasa. This will not only be beneficial to us as a country in terms of infrastructure but also transport options to the coast and back.

What do these talks/steps mean for us in the tourism sector?

It means that we will see increased business and corporate travelers coming to Kenya especially from the USA and the UK. Kenya will become a global destination for international conferences. We will also see the re-emergence of Nairobi as an eco-engine of East Africa.

The increased investment will also mean greater and better opportunities for us to provide high-quality services to locals and visitors alike as the country strengthens relations.
It is our duty to showcase the best from our country culture-wise, business-wise and corporate wise. We need to up our game to be at par with other international destinations and also to provide the best we can possibly offer and ensure that Kenya becomes the best corporate, business and conference/event destination.

Let us all strive to put our best foot forward.