Visit highlights China's role in tourism

Top legislator started a 10-day trip to Zambia, Rwanda and Kenya on March 18, which is expected to strengthen ties with Africa

The visit by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, to Kenya couldn't have come at a better time. Besides solidifying growing relations between the two countries, it is the perfect way to uplift the country's tourism sector.

Recently, Kenya's hospitality sector has been witnessing slow growth. A major pillar of the economy and previously a leading contributor of foreign exchange, the industry is experiencing lean times due to recession, particularly in its traditional markets in the European Union, followed by negative advisories given by Western countries over heightened insecurity caused by the al-Shabaab terrorists.

There have been media reports highlighting losses experienced by investors in the coastal town of Mombasa. Jobs have been lost, not to mention the dent witnessed in economic growth. Although there have been signs of recovery in the latter half of last year, the industry is on a shaky recovery path.

Armed with more information, picking Kenya as a destination of choice becomes relatively easy for tourists.

Chinese visitors have been displaying an interesting trend. They visit venues prominent leaders have been to, and Kenya has noticed an upsurge in landmark areas such as Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru National Park.

When the country was granted approval as a tourist destination by China in 2004, the number of visitors stood at 4,000.

But the visit by former Chinese president Hu Jintao in 2006 heralded a new beginning that has seen more diplomatic visits by high-level officials followed by a steady stream of visitors, standing at about 40,000 in 2014.

The number is negligible considering China is a country of 1.3 billion people with a staggering number of travel enthusiasts. The China Tourism Research Institute puts the figure at 120 million in 2015, and they spent $104.5 billion.

Kenya has been keen on attracting at least 1 million of them. There has been a deliberate campaign by the state agencies such as Kenya Wildlife Services to make popular destinations "Chinese friendly". Chinese cuisine has been widely adopted and there has been an increase in recruiting Mandarin-speakers from among the graduates of the four Confucius Institutes in the country.

The ripple effect from an upsurge in visitors is immense. One tourist means employment for about 10 people, and this affects related sectors such as transport, retail and agriculture.

Part of the entrance fees paid at national parks is given back to the communities to support conservation efforts around the protected areas. Besides decreasing cases of human-wildlife conflict, it uplifts the socio-economic status of the people, with better access to education, improved health and security services.

Full hotels motivate the locals to entertain the visitors in the evening. This promotes Kenya's varied and rich culture, which ultimately adds value to the experience while at the same time building cultural bridges between the two peoples.

Zhang's visit also emphasizes the ongoing research collaboration between the wildlife science communities of the two countries. Scientists drawn from the Chinese Academy of Sciences are in Kenya conducting studies that aim to strengthen the country's conservation efforts. This is in close collaboration with Kenyan researchers and will further technological advances made between the two countries.

Zhang's arrival in Nairobi is a welcome bridge that Kenya would do well to pursue while it has the product and China has the numbers.

The author is a chief researcher of Smartcomm Networks, a Kenya-based research institution. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/25/2016 page10)