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Celebrity Model Campaigns For Kenyan Tourism

By: James G Kamweru

Naomi Campbell, the British supermodel has called on tourists to return to Kenya, because the country is now safe and remains irresistible. Speaking to the media during the easter weekend from her resort in Malindi, Naomi assured tourists that the skirmishes that had rocked the country earlier in the year were over.

She said she felt as safe as ever in Malindi and that she will always come to Kenya whenever an opportunity presented itself. She and her Italian boyfriend have plans to build a celebrity resort in Malindi where high worth tourists will be staying. Naomi also wishes to build a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation centre to help the local youthful residents deal with drug related problems that are common on the Kenyan coastline.

Kenya's tourism was adversely affected by the December post election violence, that left about one thousand people dead, and over three hundred thousand being converted to internally displaced persons. The aftermath in tourism has been much harder to deal with. Although many of the developed countries have dropped travel advisories against Kenya, tourists have been slow to respond. Most hotels are still operating with less than 10% bed occupancy.

The tourists high season ends in March but the market is yet to pick up. There have been concerted efforts from the government and tourism stakeholders in Kenya to try and woo visitors back, but the industry is slowly responding. Any positive publicity from any quarters is welcome. It is therefore a good gesture for a celebrity of Naomi's stature to assure visitors that the situation is truly back to normal.

The country received massive negative publicity the during the skirmishes. This led to many cancellations in the first quarter of this year which largely benefited our neighbouring countries. Tanzania recorded improved business in January, although the repeat customers complained of the inability of many of the locals to converse in English. Uganda, fresh from hosting the commonwealth heads summit last year is boasting of improved infrastructure and accommodation. But no country in the region gets anywhere near Kenya in infrastructure and accommodation.

Having enjoyed peace, stability and generally good governance for over forty years, Kenya has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa. Her coastal beaches and wildlife combine well to give a visitor a complete safari most of which are planned many years before hand. The region has over years relied on Kenya as the peacemaker and haven for refugees. For the country to be in a situation it was in January, surprised locals and foreigners alike.

Indeed, Kenya's regional importance was manifested by the international response towards the post election violence. The world's who is who stated their position, all pointing towards a demand that the world can not afford to lose Kenya to anarchy the way it has lost Somalia or Zimbabwe. Kenya is too important to be let to go that way. The US, EU, AU and UN all came together to support Kofi Anan led talks that ended successfully with a power sharing agreement.

As Kenya continues to correct the wrongs brought about by the post election violence, efforts by men and women of goodwill to support the efforts are not just welcome but needed in equal measure.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
James G. Kamweru is a tour operator and has been organizing and reporting on Vacation, Travel and Tours for years. For More Information Visit his site at Kenya security situationI Will Also Appreciate Your Comments Kenya Travel On My Blog HereKenya security situation

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