Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala wins top Tourism Global Award

Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala might have had a lot of controversies the past few years as the Tourism CS but that does not seem to have stopped him from receiving top awards.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has been awarded the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Champion Award.

The Global Summit award for 2019 was held at Seville in Spain on Wednesday.

Balala said that the award was a win for both his ministry and Kenya’s efforts to make the ministry sustainable.

"We aim to ensure they directly benefit local communities, who are the custodians and stewards of both our tourism and wildlife resources.”

The annual WTTC Global Champion Awards recognises public officials or countries that have made a difference through public policies and initiatives that have increased the competitiveness of the sector.

In 2018, the travel and tourism sector grew by 5.6 per cent, contributing Sh790 billion and 1.1 million jobs to the Kenyan economy. The growth rate is faster than the global average of 3.9 per cent and the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 3.3 per cent.

This makes Kenya the third largest tourism economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria, both of which grew substantially less than Kenya in 2018.

Last year, international tourists spent over Sh157 billion in Kenya, accounting for over 15 per cent of total exports. Kenya will receive more tourists via the Indian Ocean.