Balala says fine cuisine is key to boosting Kenya's tourism

By Philip MwakioTourism Minister, Najib Balala has tapped the development of fine cuisine tourism in Kenya as the key to boosting international arrivals.
Speaking when he presided over the first ever award ceremony for the Young chefs competition at the Mombasa Technical Training Institute (MTTI), Balala said some of Africa’s leading tourist destination like Morocco and Tunisia were known to be haven for good food and wine experience.
"Good food and wine are vital components of tourism experience, and are increasingly seen as prime travel motivator in their own right. Kenya’s unique destination coupled with its peoples friendly nature should be spruced up with good cuisine to attract even more visitors," the Minister said.
He said that his Ministry was working on a concept to integrate cuisine tourism into the curriculum.
MTTI Chief Principal, Bashir Mursal, said that the college had partnered with Chaine Des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society founded in 1950 to motivate young and aspiring chefs. The society is devoted to promoting fine dining and preserving the camaraderie and pleasures of the table.
"We have a fully fledged department of hospitality centre of excellence, with 320 students pursuing various courses and are happy to be associated with Chaine Des Rotisseurs," Mursal said.
best chef
During the competition, Godfrey Mutahi scooped the Best Young Chef and received a certificate and Sh10,000 cash award.
Meanwhile, the Catering and Tourism Development Levy Trustees (CDTLT), says it will be carrying out an integrity test on its entire workforce in conjunction with Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC). The test will see staff have all their mobile telephone numbers handed over to the anti graft Authority for monitoring effective June 1.
" We are the first tourism related agency to have entered into this kind of partnership with KACC as we strive to ensure our services are above board, and total accountability," Chief Executive Officer, Allan Chenane said as he addressed a tourism stakeholders meting at a Mombasa hotel.
The Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association (Mcta) chairman, Mr Mohamed Hersi has commended CDTLT for the integrity test initiative, terming it a bold move.