enya ’ s conference tourism sector , like most business sectors around the world , has been greatly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic . What was a usually vibrant industry commanding a major economic impact for the economy has been highly affected .

The industry was the first out in Kenya and will probably be the last industry to return in terms of business and operations .

Again , like most major in-person events around the world that were cancelled since March , those booked at KICC and in Kenya at large were no exception .

The situation led the government in Nairobi to develop a new tourism recovery strategy . It is a strategy that includes hospitality , events and meetings industry safety protocols and programmes to support the recovery of the industry . It is designed to cushion the sector from the adverse effects of the pandemic .

The Kenyan government rolled out an economic stimulus programme in

the form of a presidential address on 23 May 2020 . It was an eight-point Economic Stimulus Programme which injected KS3bn ( US $ 27m ) to Kenya ’ s Tourism Finance Corporation for soft loans to hotels and MICE establishments , designed to help the tourism sector weather the pandemic .

The government has been further engaging MICE venues in the country to develop Covid-19 contingency plans .

The country ’ s MICE industry is also set to embark on aggressive marketing campaigns incorporating safety messages as a recovery strategy to bring back international conferences and events to the country as travel and tourism slowly picks up .

The sector is now adapting to the safe hosting of hybrid events and physical meetings , with full adherence to safety protocols .

The KICC Board and management , for its part , has re-strategised and innovated new products as a way to

Above : Kenyatta International Convention Centre

Bottom left : Geoffrey K . Thande , director business development services , KICC

supplement traditional conferencing solutions that have been hard hit by the pandemic .

The new products include ; Advertising at the KICC tower block , an online KICC gift shop , and organising and hosting of hybrid events .

Advertising at the KICC tower block is already bringing in revenue to the centre .

Cancellations and postponement of events due to the pandemic are calculated to have led to a loss of over KS800m of revenue to the centre , and that does not include revenues that the country would have accrued in terms of the economic ripple effect from the international conferences the destination would have hosted . Indeed , we have had to be innovative to stay afloat during these challenging times .

Among the big postponed events in 2020 was the World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala ceremony that the KICC had won and which had been scheduled for October 2020 . That has now been postponed to 2021 . The event will now not only be an awards show but also a platform for Kenya ’ s entire MICE industry and tourism sector to come together to showcase and demonstrate that the country is once again open for business .

It must be remembered that KICC is a parastatal body mandated to market Kenya ’ s conference tourism globally and has worked hard over the years to ensure that Kenya retains its position as a most preferred destination for business events in Africa . We will continue to do this .