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The three east African countries recently entered an arrangement to market the three countries as a single tourist destination;this will also help in increasing the market of safaris to Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. Serena Hotels, a leading regional investor in the hospitality also partnered with the national carrier which is Rwanda air and also met with the local tour and travel operators in order to enhance their knowledge region‘s tourist attractions.

This will also be a great opportunity to the tour operators to grow their business regionally which will also help improving the safaris which are carried out in all the three east African countries. This is to avail relevant information about what Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda offer in terms of tourism and how they can market all these countries in order to increase the number of tourists who come to these three countries.

The tourist visa is to help the three countries since a visitor or tourist pays $100 at the country of entry or the respective foreign missions abroad. This initiative also calls for private sector participation, but stake holders need to know how to go about the business of marketing the region as a single product. This will help in the easy movement of the safari tourists from place to another.
The tourist attractions in the three countries offer tour operators to effectively market the region. The single tourist visa also provides a chance to understand how to sell better the safari attractions to the visitors, which later help in improving the tourism sector within the country. East Africa has a variety of tourist attractions which include; rare mountain gorillas, cultural and historical sites as well as a beautiful coast line, however not every tour operator knows about the rich potential found within the region.

Some of the attractions also include; Masai Mara National park and the Mombasa beaches on the Indian Ocean in Kenya and the mountain gorillas which are also found in Uganda and Rwanda and not found in Kenya. Once all these are packaged together, they become more appealing compared to when they are marketed individually hence giving the visitors a more interesting experience.

The US State Department has done it again: issuing a travel alert for Kenya. They cite two main security concerns: the terrorist threat posed by Al-Shabaab, and the possibility of a repeat of violence after the August 4th constitutional referendum. You can see the travel alert here.

The concern over al-Shabaab is largely because of the Uganda bombings which I previously wrote about. The terrorist group acknowledged responsibility for the bombings. Since then, Kenya has been on a high security alert, considering that the country’s border with Somalia is very porous. Kenya has reinforced its security troops along the border. In the past one week or so, we have heard reports of some skirmishes between al-Shabaab militants and the Kenya police. But these are not very uncommon.

About the constitutional referendum, we Kenyans will be voting on August 4th on whether or not to adopt a new constitution. The last time we had polls here, violence erupted following the disputed results. And, like it was expected the US state department issued another travel alert.

While I understand the fears of new violence after the referendum, I think the 2008 violence taught us a big lesson. There’s no way we are going back down that road again. Certainly, some people may try to disrupt a political rally here and there, but the government is doing a commendable job.

So what is my take on the newest travel alert? The US state department reserves the right to warn its citizens of potential trouble. I also want to believe that the alert is informed by competent intelligence reports.

As a Kenyan on the ground however, I remain confident in the assurances by our government that it has put adequate measures for the security of everyone in the country. For quite some time now, the government has been aware of the al-Shabaab threat and, I believe, has handled it adequately. And, going by government reports in local media, the government has also deployed many police officers in potential trouble spots to prevent a repeat of violence after the referendum.

Needless to say however, it is good to take precaution. If you plan to travel to Kenya around this time, you’d be prudent to monitor news and information from the country. Let your travel agent know your concerns, and they will advise you.

Update: August 09, 2010

It is now five days since we Kenyans held the national referendum on the constitution. Contrary to what some people feared, it was very peaceful and successful during and after the referendum. Despite the rigorous campaigns before the elections, the losers gracefully accepted defeat. As Kenyans, we are all united in celebrating the dawn of a new era. Never before has there been such optimism in the country. This reinforces my belief that Kenya learnt the 2008 lesson very well, and Kenyans will never again allow the country to sink that low.

If you are planning to come to Kenya, I can only say KARIBU SANA