Kenya Tourism Federation Secretariat P.O. Box 15013-00509, Nairobi Tel: 020 8001000; Wireless:020 8001001 Cell: 0722-745645 / 0738-617499 www.kenyatourism.or.ke www.tourismawards.or.ke 26th October 2012 IN THIS ISSUE, AFRICA HOTEL INVESTMENTS FORUM 2012 The framework for the signing of many investment deals & projects TANZANIA IN FRESH BID TO SELL IVORY: As elephant poaching levels at their highest in a decade; and ivory seizures at the highest in the last two decades FIRST PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS, 15th -18th October Tourism is one of the most effective ways to preserve Africa s parks and protected areas ADVOCACY FOR A SAFER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT KTF collaborates with other private sector organizations and the public sector in pursuit of a better business environment CALENDAR OF EVENTS AFRICA HOTEL INVESTMENTS FORUM 2012: Africa Hotel Investments Forum (AHIF) 2012 was held in Nairobi on 25-26 th September at the Nairobi Intercontinental. This was the second edition of the event, with the first held last year in Casablanca, as Hotel Investment Conference, before being rebranded as AHIF.
vestment Conference, before being rebranded as AHIF. The event brings together decision makers including investors, governments, hospitality industry leaders and supporting industries to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing investments in hospitality in Africa; with a view to facilitate investments by creating opportunities for business networks and deals, engage governments and policy makers in regard to investment climate and opportunities, propose solutions to investment challenges, as well as draw attention to the wealth of investment and growth opportunities that exist in Africa. Top Kenya government officials addressed the conference, with Vice President Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka and Tourism Minister, Hon. Dan Mwazo, also the conference patron, declaring the country open for business and calling on investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the country. With the participation of leading local and global investors, Kenya, as the host, had a special opportunity to woo and sign leading investors and in turn close gaps of insufficient bed capacity; diversify and enhance hospitality offering by gaining the best practices that leading global brands bring; and raise global competitiveness. Addressing the conference, the Vice President confirmed the impending entry into the local market by leading global brands such as Kempinski, Best Western, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, and Three cities; adding that this will contribute greatly to closing the gaps in the country s bed capacity as tourism volumes to the country grow. AHIF 2012 was the framework for the signing of many investment deals which will see leading global Hotel brands such as Carlon Rezidor, Areen Hospitality, ACCOR, Emaar Hospitality, Hilton Worldwide and Kempinski Hotels venture into or increase their presence on the continent. Ms. Maryanne Ndegwa, CEO, KTDC, one of AHIF 2012 sponsors, welcomed potential foreign investors in the local Hospitality sector, and explained that opportunities abound for direct investment, joint investment with Kenyan entrepreneurs and or public/private partnerships. TANZANIA IN FRESH BID TO SELL IVORY: Tanzania s deputy Minister of Natural resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu announced two weeks ago that the country has sought afresh permission from Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to sell 101,005kg of ivory; reportedly to beef up
Fauna and Flora (CITES) to sell 101,005kg of ivory; reportedly to beef up the country s fight against elephant poaching. The Minister said the country is in negotiations with CITES to be allowed to sell the ivory, a portion of the country s stock pile of about 137 tonnes; and contends this ivory is from elephants that died from natural causes, and not smuggled nor from unclear origin. Tanzania had made a similar bid in 2010 seeking permission to sell ivory then valued at US$20 million; and the bid was rejected by CITES. Kenya, and conservationists around the world, opposed the ivory sale on the grounds that it may stimulate poaching rather than empower Tanzania to stem the crime. While announcing this latest bid, the deputy minister stated that Tanzania wants Kenya s support this time. But this bid comes poorly timed, coming at a time when elephant poaching levels are at their highest in a decade, and ivory seizures at the highest in the last two decades. Kenya, unlike Tanzania, has severally burned seized ivory from her stockpile; and largely holds the view shared by conservationists around the world, that trade in ivory, even one-off sales, bear a close link with rise in illegal ivory trade and poaching. For instance, in 2008, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana were permitted by CITES a one-off sale of ivory to China and Japan. The following year, a surge in illegal ivory trade was witnessed; demonstrating a link between one-off ivory trade and illegal ivory trade. ILLEGAL IVORY SEIZURED IN HONGKONG, October 2012: On 16 th and 17 th October, customs authorities in Hong Kong seized 2 containers originated from Tanzania and Kenya respectively, each containing US$ 1.7 million worth of illegal ivory. Investigations are ongoing and several people have been arrested in connection with the crime. Additionally, it is reported that Tanzania has applied to CITES to scale down its protection of the country s elephant population to permit trade in tusks as hunting trophies. This has drawn further opposition from conservationists around the world, and caused criticism of the country s conservation values; with previous plans that were broadly opposed as putting conservation at risk, such as the previously proposed Arusha Musoma highway that would have cut through the Serengeti ecosystem which has since been stemmed being recalled. A London based environmental conservation lobby organization, Environmental Investigation Agency, has opposed this bid by Tanzania terming it ludicrous for coming at a time when ivory poaching is escalating; and is opposed to one-off ivory trade, saying this promotes illegal international trade in ivory.
FIRST PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS, 15 th -18 th October The conference concludes that tourism is one of the most effective ways to preserve Africa s parks and protected areas while creating jobs and income for local communities. The conference was organized by UNWTO and hosted in Arusha, by the government of Tanzania. It brought together about 400 delegates from 40 African countries, and participants from other parts of the world. In his opening remarks, Tanzania s Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Gharib Bilal urged African governments to involve all stakeholders, including local communities and NGOs in tackling problems of poaching and environmental degradation. UNWTO Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai, also addressed the conference, and noted that Nature is one of Africa s greatest assets, and that many of the 50 million international tourists who visit Africa every year are driven by the continent s unparalleled wildlife and scenery. The conference aimed to encourage professional approach to position park tourism as one of the core components of park management in Africa; and obtain an overview of the current challenges to sustainable park tourism in Africa today. Allan Kijazi, the director general of Tanzania National Parks, informed participants that his organization already has formed a directorate to address matters of community participation in park tourism, with regard to conservation and benefits. Participants were informed that coordination and interaction through various platforms, of key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, is important for governments to be able address sufficiently key policy and strategic issues in order to develop sustainable park tourism. Similar to Kenya, South Africa, said the country s deputy minister of tourism Tokozile Xasa, Tourism is one of the top 6 priority sectors in the government s growth plan. At the conclusion of the conference, the attending ministers, private sector representatives and conservation officials adopted the Arusha Declaration key points of which include: 1. Knowledge exchange between countries, to benefit countries with limited experience in sustainable park tourism management by learning from best practices elsewhere in the continent.
ing from best practices elsewhere in the continent. 2. The need to involve local communities directly in the management of parks and protected areas to ensure concrete benefits in terms of employment and income generation. 3. The importance of good governance in managing park tourism, and collaborative action among stakeholders, especially the public and private sector. KTF SCC, with the support of the tourism sector and input from the authorities e.g. the Tourist Police Unit, runs an initiative called Election Period ADVOCACY FOR A SAFER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT KTF collaborates with other private sector organizations and the public sector in pursuit of a better business environment Through participation in regular KEPSA forums with the leadership of government e.g. the President s forum; Prime Minister, Speaker and Donor Roundtable meetings; Kenya Tourism Federation engages the country s leadership on the issues and concerns facing the tourism industry, as well as contributes to policy making. KTF participated in the 2nd Donor Group Roundtable Meeting held on 12 th October, to discuss key issues affecting the business environment; where currently, political and elections risks is prominent; and to seek ways to address these. Security is of key importance to the tourism sector, thus a priority area for sector stakeholders to look into and collaborate with other sectors and relevant institutions to make a reality. The forum combined the input of representatives from a cross section of the private sector and the donor community, and supported the private sector initiative and participation alongside other organizations, such as the Civil Society, Inter religious council, Vision 2030, NCIC and the media in the national campaign for security Mkenya Daima ; which aims to ensure peace during the upcoming elections. The importance of the campaign and the challenges it faces were discussed, and solutions to the challenges proposed. TOURISM INDUSTRY SPECIFIC SECURITY INITIATIVE
KTF SCC, with the support of the tourism sector and input from the au thorities e.g. the Tourist Police Unit, runs an initiative called Election Period Operating Procedure during all elections in the country; to ensure the safety of tourists during these periods and avoid any injury or losses to the industry. During the referendum on the then proposed Constitution of Kenya in 2010, KTF-SCC, with the industry s support, carried out EPOP, and kept the tourism industry duly informed with accurate security information and advice, thus reinforced the security of the sector. The EPOP carried out by the KTF-SCC during the 2007 elections is largely credited for the safety ensured within the tourism industry at the time, where there was no security incident involving any tourist or industry operator, despite the chaos that erupted following the elections. CALENDAR OF EVENTS EVENT ORGANIZER VENUE DATE Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon Standard Charted bank NAIROBI 28th October Lamu cultural Festival Lamu Cultural Promotion Group LAMU 15-18th November TIME To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at comms@ktf.co.ke; admin@ktf.co.ke, or call (0)20 800 1001