Cabinet Secretary Rebeccamiano, along with members of the Africa Future Leader Challenge (EA FLC). The CS noted that youth in Kenya account for 70% of the tourism workforce.
Kenya has hit the 70% mark, surpassing the global average for the youth workforce in the tourism sector.
The Tourism Bureau and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano call growth a reflection of the country's ongoing efforts to empower young people and strengthen the economy through sustainable employment.
Young people make up 50% of the world's tourism workforce, according to a UN report entitled “Youth-led Recovery of World Tourism.”
“Tourism is one of the sectors where the government prioritizes to bridge the unemployment gap among our youth and provide longer-term opportunities for Kenya's younger population,” CS Miano said.
She highlighted that the government is working to further improve these figures through a variety of initiatives aimed at skill development, entrepreneurship, and broader youth inclusion in the tourism economy.
CS made her remarks while siding mainly on the Event East Africa Future Leader Challenge (EA FLC), an event in which she also serves as a patron.
The East Africa Future Leaders Challenge (EA FLC) is part of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Future Leaders Platform, and is a local frontline initiative dedicated to creating dynamic and collaborative communities that address new challenges within the hospitality and tourism industry.
Throughout Kenya's tourism sector, youth contribute to many roles, including driver tool guides, waiters and servers, managers of experience tourism facilities, and especially wildlife rangers who help protect the country's rich natural heritage.
During the East Africa Future Leader Challenge (EA FLC) held at Strathmore University, Dr. Elizabeth Gachenga, DVC Academic and student at Strathmore University, and Rebecca Miano (L) CS of Tourism and Wildlife will also serve as patrons for EA FLC.
“We are honored to serve as a patron of this young-focused initiative, as part of our key population, and the Ministry of Tourism continues to work with stakeholders in both tourism ecosystems to support capacity building, empowerment initiatives and product development,” CS Miano said. “We are committed to creating a skilled and capable workforce that can advance Kenya's tourism sector and economy.”
CS Miano also encouraged young people to use technology. We note that technical wisdom is well placed to add more value and innovation as we move into leadership roles within the sector.
The East Africa Future Leaders Challenge (EA FLC) ensures that winners will win awards and recognition to celebrate leadership potential, and offer the opportunity to represent the region on a larger platform.
The two-day event, launched today at Strathmore University, includes leadership challenges, panel discussions of experts, workshops and networking sessions designed to prepare young people for dynamic careers in tourism and hospitality.
At the same time, CS has revealed that Kenya will continue to strengthen the visitor's experience from arrival to airport following the recent launch of its customer service charter at JKIA.
She added that diversifying products and experiences is some of the other initiatives the tourism sector was introducing to meet the diverse needs and preferences of today's travelers.
“Our aim is to ensure that we meet the needs of modern travelers through efficient service delivery at all touch points across the country,” CS added.
