A tourism official has revealed that plans are underway to make Iten a tourist destination as the country diversifies its tourism offerings.
Speaking at the Great Rift Valley Lodge, East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism communications manager Baristo Kaplich said that the government is shifting focus from the mainstream attractions to incorporate sports tourism.
“We have very great athletes in Kenya and we have already set aside funds that will boost the town. We intend to attract tourists to know why such a town breeds international winners,” he added.
Kaplich revealed that the government already had an agreement with Brussels Airlines to support various sports.
“We have secured an agreement with the organisation to support golf as a tourism sport. We seek to ensure that the other sports get covered too,” he added.
Kaplich added that the ministry was also targeting to invest in rugby and football.
“We intend to make events like The Impala Floodlights and the Ten-A-side Tournament into international events,” he said.
Kaplich said that diversifying from the normal tourist attraction on beaches and national reserves was the way to go in light of the increased cases of terror attacks in the country.
“Security is paramount in the country but recent attacks have greatly affected the number of tourists in the country. As a ministry, we intend to diversify into converting traditional events into major tourist attractions. This includes events like the boat racing in Lamu and the Lamu festival,” he added.