TOURISM MINISTER NAJIB BALALA SIGNS DEAL WITH SOUTH AFRICA
The Source: www.coastweek.com - 21/08/2009
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Kenya and South Africa on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at building ties on tourism between the two countries. Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala who signed the MoU with his counterpart from South Africa Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the agreement would play a major part in helping Kenya participate in South African tourism fairs to woo tourists from Southern Africa region."The agreement will encourage tourism investment in both countries. We will also cooperate in participation in tourism exhibitions, cultural exchanges," Balala told journalists in Nairobi .He said the agreement will enable the two countries share information including data, market trends and information on legislative and regulatory mechanisms, institutions frame works among others."The agreement also offers for education and training in the field of tourism," the minister said.He said South Africa has a strong domestic tourism sector where regions within the country are marketed as distinct destinations. "We can benefit from their experience in this," Balala said.Kenya attracts about 20 percent of international arrivals from the African region whereas South Africa attracts about 70 percent.More than nine million foreigners visited South Africa last year while locally less than a million tourists toured the country."The regional market is advantageous in that it was not as volatile as the overseas markets," said the minister.He noted that the country stands to benefit immensely from the South African tourism market since it is the Africa 's "economic powerhouse".Balala expressed optimism that by the end of the year the sector would be back on its feet following good response from the European tourism market.He added that efforts to spread wings to new source markets of Russia and Asia were paying dividends as tourists from those regions are set to tour the country in the coming months.
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