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{
    "id": 1123135,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1123135/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mavoko, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Patrick Makau",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2328,
        "legal_name": "Patrick Makau King'ola",
        "slug": "patrick-makau-kingola"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Deputy Speaker, Hon. Owen Baya Yaa in particular sought to be informed on the following issues: (i) Plans by the Government to carry out a vaccination programme for the tourism and hospitality workers, particularly in the Coast region. (ii) Whether there is a tourism recovery plan in place including marketing campaigns and public relations strategies with a view of reviving the tourism sector. (iii) Measures the Government has put in place to cushion the tourism sector players, businesses and investments in the tourism and hospitality industry, including but not limited to waivers and amnesties on tax, tourism licences and catering levy. (iv) Measures the Government is considering rolling out such as economic recovery support measures, including social protection measures for the local people who lost their jobs following the COVID-19 Pandemic to cushion them from the effects of the pandemic. (v) Measures the Government is putting in place to enable fully vaccinated travellers into and out of the country in line with the set protocols without undue inconveniences. (vi) Measures the Government has put in place to consider subsidising the cost of COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests on outgoing and incoming tourists to make Kenya a competitive tourist destination. Hon. Deputy Speaker, having considered the Statement, I beg to respond as follows: On vaccination of tourism and hospitality workers, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has engaged with the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors for tourism and hospitality workers to be considered as part of frontline workers so that they can be given due consideration when the vaccination against COVID-19 began. This led to many workers in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Narok, Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Kajiado and Lamu, among other popular tourist destinations in the counties, being vaccinated. Currently, the country has more vaccines and the Ministry has lobbied tourism associations to mobilise their members to turn up in large numbers and be vaccinated leading to mass vaccinations of more than 90 per cent of the sector workplace in the entire country being vaccinated including the entire Kenyan Coast. As regards plans to revive the tourism sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic, there are several plans to revive the sector to pre-COVID-19 status before the global projected recovery in 2024 as follows – Firstly, the Ministry established the National Tourism and Hospitality Protocol Task Force to develop health and safety protocols for the hospitality sector. This led to the awards by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) of the Safe Travel Stamp in July 2020. The country was also the first to be awarded the recommended status of the Safer Tourism Resilience Seal by the global body for rebuilding travels in August 2020. Secondly, the Ministry, in consultation with stakeholders, has developed a Tourism Re- modelling Strategy, 2021-2025 that seeks to double tourism earnings revenue by 2030 and whose focus is on re-positioning Magical Kenya as a premium brand to attract international tourists from The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}