Kenya woos investors to develop tourism facilities within parks

Photo taken on Aug. 3, 2010 shows the scenery at dawn in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. (Xinhua/Liu Chan)

Kenya on Wednesday called on foreign and domestic investors to develop tourism facilities within the country's national parks, game reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.

NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday called on foreign and domestic investors to develop tourism facilities within the country's national parks, game reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Peninah Malonza, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the proposed facilities include lodges, restaurants, convention centers, and adventure experiences.

"Investments in Kenya's protected wildlife areas will help the government's goal of growing the number of foreign and domestic tourists," Malonza said during the Kenya parks investment forum.

A leopard rests on the tree at the Animal Orphanage in Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 4, 2023. The orphanage provides shelter and care for the injured, neglected, abused or frightened wild animals. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

According to the state-owned Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), approximately 8 percent of the country is protected for wildlife conservation, comprising 23 terrestrial national parks, 28 terrestrial national reserves, four marine national parks, six marine national reserves, and four national sanctuaries.

Erastus Kanga, director general of KWS, said that investments in the country's wildlife-protected areas have attractive returns as well as transformative dimensions through the empowerment of local communities.

Kanga believed that tourism facilities within national parks and reserves will enhance Kenya's allure as a destination for travelers. ■