NAIROBI, Kenya, June 24- International experts and opinion leaders in Tourism, airlines, banks and hotels are converging in Nairobi on Friday to offer a career seminar to sensitize high school leavers on the importance of international travel and tourism in the development of a country.
The organizers of this year’s seminar said as the country gears up for the upsurge in tourism, the sector will be a leading driver in achieving the goals of Vision 2030 thus the need to have well trained personnel with knowledge, skills and the right attitudes to provide the necessary services.
According to the Managing Director and CEO Air Travel and Related Studies Charles Gakuu, Kenya aims to be among the top 10 long-haul tourist destinations in the world offering a high-end, diverse, and distinctive visitor experience that few of her competitors can offer as elaborated in the development blueprint.
“According to Vision 2030, tourism industry’s contribution to the GDP will quadruple to more that Sh200 billion by 2012 as well as raise international visitors to three million from 1.6 million. Hotel bed occupancy is set to increase by 62.5 percent over the same period,” he said.
Mr Gakuu said the college is thus positioning itself to play a big role in training and producing graduates specialising in the sector and its associated areas such as hotel and catering management.
The college has alongside the formal class-based programmes, developed several other out-of class programmes to educate the young Kenyans on the sector and on the need to develop an interest in this fast growing sector of our economy.
The participants, Mr Gakuu said, will have an opportunity to interact with industry professionals drawn from leading tour firms, hotels and lodges, airlines, travel agencies, marketing and public relations firms and banks, together with academicians and scholars in relevant areas.
“This is an opportunity to help our young Kenyans to choose careers that will help them in life. That is why we want to involve experts to educate them on careers with job availability. We hope that after the one-day seminar, the participants will be able make a better choice of their future career,” he added.
