The UNCTAD conference is being held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and roads near the venue have been shut for all the six days/PSCU
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 18 – Players in the tourism sector say the industry will reap big following the 14th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) being held in Nairobi.
Speaking to Capital FM News, Kenya Tourism Federation Chairperson Lucy Karume said it’s a huge endorsement to the sector given the fact that there are two back-to-back conferences being held in Kenya.
“UNCTAD being held in Nairobi affirms that the country has taken each and every measure to secure the presence of every person coming to this country be it an investor, visitor or anyone coming for a conference,” she said.
She says hotels in Nairobi are experiencing booming business as there are over 7,000 delegates who have come.
Karume urged the Tourism Ministry to hasten the process of opening a convention centre in Mombasa so that the coastal city can also reap the benefits of conferencing.
“Mombasa has been having challenges in the tourism sector and having a convention centre running there will help Mombasa benefit in the same way Nairobi is benefiting,” she said.
She is hoping the delegates get a chance to visit the Maasai Mara, Nairobi National Park and even get a chance to fly to the coastal region in order to experience the beauty of Kenya.
The UNCTAD conference is being held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and roads near the venue have been shut for all the six days.
The closed roads include Parliament Road, Taifa Road, Harambee Avenue and City Hall Way. Others are Standard, Mama Ngina and Wabera Streets.
Businesses people around the vicinity of the closed roads had mixed reactions some saying they are benefiting while others are experiencing low business.
Forex bureaus in different areas had positive remarks to say about the conference’s impact in terms of business.
“It is such a good time for us, business is good at the moment we are able to do a lot of transactions as foreigners come to exchange their money,” said one of the Manager at a Forex bureau in the CBD.
Motorists and taxi owners have however been affected especially along the roads that are closed.
Majority of Kenyans were impressed by the level of security around the CBD saying they have never seen as many policemen before and it should always remain that way
