(Ecofin Agency) - Kenya plans to leverage local tourism to recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic of the new coronavirus, Tourism secretary Najib Balala (pictured) reported.

The new strategy, which aims to promote national and regional travel, is expected to last two years. Its objective is to accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector, after the covid-19 crisis which led to the suspension of activities in the sector.

Due to its importance in the Kenyan economy (the country's third-largest source of foreign exchange after remittances and agricultural exports), the authorities expect the slowdown in the sector to have a strong impact on the country's economic growth. The new plan also comes at a difficult time for Kenyan tourism, which is barely emerging from the shock of the terrorist attacks on the country's busy hotels in 2019. Last year, the number of tourists who visited Kenya grew by only 1% compared to 37% the previous year.

“We need not be dependent on international tourism and must start investing heavily in the domestic and regional market,” Secretary Najib Balala said. 

To date, the country has recorded more than 262 cases of covid-19.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou