Despite the downturn in Kenya's tourism last year, the country won important awards recently in London for its environmental policies. Claire Footit reports.

Kenya received double honours in the World Travel Market/Green Globe environmental awards, announced on Environmental Awareness Day at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London on 18 November 1998.

Janet Anderson, Minister for Tourism in the UK, presented Dr Richard Leakey, the recently re-appointed director of Kenya Wildlife Service, with a special award, the Green Globe trophy, in recognition of his dedication and unstinting work for the environment. "Africa is synonymous with humanity, and it is the management of the environment that will effect humanity," said Dr Leakey. "Clearly tourism is of vital importance to the world, and it is particularly important to Africa, and especially to my own country Kenya."

Serena Hotels received the Best Environmental Stand award, where the company's environmental policy was prominently displayed and recyclable fixtures were utilised. Serena has ten hotels and safari lodges in Kenya and Tanzania.

A member of Green Globe, the world-wide environmental management programme initiated by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Serena Hotels also received a green tick, based on the World Travel Market's Ten Point Declaration for Good Environmental Practice. The Green tick is awarded to companies which have made significant environmental management achievements. Commented Fiona Jeffrey, exhibition director of WTM, "Many companies in the industry are making an effort to improve their environmental practice and our Ten Point Declaration outlines the best way to proceed, while the Green Tick campaign rewards the most outstanding efforts."

The Environment Debate on sustainable tourism took the theme `Going for green, but does the consumer really care?', with Dr Leakey on the panel. Always ready to be controversial, Dr Leakey asked who the consumer in question was, explaining that the vast majority of people in Kenya are extremely poor; and do not have resources making the option of selling the environment for tourism difficult to handle. "Our consumer is your consumer. It is not our people," he said. He stressed the need for the environment to be independent of tourism.

He called for international funding to support biological diversity. "We need to have a natural environment for the world's sake, not just for the tourist's sake. We need to find another way of meeting our costs," he said.

At the Kenya stand, operators commented that tourism was beginning to pick up again, although some coastal operators reported business at 20% of capacity and the closure of several hotels. However, acting chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB), John Haliti, gave an upbeat forecast for tourism. "Our winter targets have already been surpassed, and a new charter, a 747, is coming from France to the coast, commencing on 21 December," he said.

After the damage caused to the infrastructure by El Nino, repairs to the Mombasa Highway to Nairobi are scheduled for completion by December. The tourist board is concentrating on getting markets back to Kenya, and their marketing plan focuses on new products, such as golf safaris, and adding value.

The Kenya Ports Authority is preparing incentives for cruise ship owners, opening up opportunities for linking safaris to cruise holidays. "We will improve on the quality of tourist we are attracting. We want to start developing upmarket tourist products," he said.

The Kenya Tourist Board is also setting in place an information system on tourist flow, backed with EU technical advice. This will give statistical information on a monthly basis, and outline areas which KTB will need to address. "We need to be proactive, very active," said Maliti, "to ensure that visitors get the best experience."