Kenyans will have the opportunity to enjoy free access to all game parks and reserves on Saturday, September 28, 2024, in celebration of UN World Tourism Week.
This announcement was made by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who urged Kenyans to take advantage of this chance while adhering to the established code of conduct during their visits.
The week-long event, running from Monday, September 23 to Friday, September 27, will be held in Kisumu.
“Allow me to remind everyone that Kenya will join the global community in celebrating UN World Tourism Week. The event will be hosted in Kisumu,” Miano said.
“I encourage Kenyans to show up in large numbers and urge them to observe the laid-down code of conduct while touring our parks and reserves,” she added.
Miano shared this news on Sunday, September 22, coinciding with the global celebration of Rhino Day. The theme for this year’s World Rhino Day is “Keep the Five Alive,” highlighting the number of species of this rare and magnificent herbivore.
In her statement, Miano noted that Kenya is a crucial habitat for rhinos on a global scale, hosting 80 percent of the eastern black rhino subspecies across eight national parks, including Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Sera Community Conservancy, and five private sanctuaries in the Laikipia region.
Laikipia is home to more than half of Kenya’s total rhino population.
“Besides being a significant tourist attraction, rhinos support communities involved in conservation, aligning perfectly with the current administration’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” she stated.
Miano assured that the Government has developed laws and policies to secure wildlife resources for current and future generations. This includes domesticating multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“I assure the global community that Kenya will continue to play its rightful role in wildlife conservation, with a special emphasis on expanding and conserving rhino habitats,” she concluded.
