Players in the ailing tourism industry have welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision to drop charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta. Speaking to The Standard, the hoteliers said they believed Uhuru would now focus on reviving key sectors of the economy which are deteriorating.
“The perception on Kenya among some international travellers will change now that the Head of State has been let off the hook by the ICC,” Silas Kiti, acting General Manager of the Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels, said.
A Mombasa-based tourism consultant, Paul Kurgat, said the latest ICC decision on President Kenyatta serves to give confidence of his innocence. “It is our hope that real focus will shift to fixing the real problems we face in the wake of severe travel advisories that have caused a huge slump in international tourist arrivals,” Mr Kurgat said.
And the Kenya Association of Hotel keepers and Caterers Coast branch executive officer, Sam Ikwaye, said what remained now is for Uhuru’s zealous lead to the front. “Our hope is that may be he will dedicate much more time and resources to unite the nation and address insecurity,” Ikwaye said.