The Abagusii community has been urged to preserve their cultural heritage sites in a bid to strengthen the tourism industry.
This was an appeal from Kisii University Vice Chancellor Prof John Akama in a statement read by his representative Dr Christopher Ngacho during the World Tourism Day celebrations held at Manga, Nyamira County.
He said tourism is one of the drivers of socio–economic development in the developing countries.
“Tourism is a source of income, it provides jobs for our people, a market for the local goods and understanding of culture,” he said.
The region has an array of cultural heritage sites such as Manga cliff, Manga shrine, Bao plain sports ground and Igenamenge.
Akama cited Manga ridge as an exceptional viewpoint from which you can view the great Lake Victoria and Homa Hills in Homa Bay County.
At the same time, he reiterated that poor infrastructural development, poor strategies, inadequate administration and lack of community involvement are some of the barriers to the development of the tourism industry.
Manga sub-county deputy county commissioner Josephat Musyoki, however, thanked residents for preserving the cultural sites but also challenged them to plant indigenous trees as opposed to the foreign seedlings in order to add a touch of glamour to the region’s vegetation cover.
Julius Menge, an officer from the department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Kisii University also urged the community on the benefits of cultural preservation.