A number of tourists bought the locally made ornaments during this year’s Malindi tourism and cultural expo which was held at national museums grounds. Tourism players at the Coast have now been forced to turn to cultural events and trade fairs following the slump in the industry to woo visitors, particularly from the domestic market.
Kilifi County has for the very first time held the Malindi Tourism and Culture Expo which was organized by the Malindi Tourism and Cultural Expo welfare group and it will be held every first Friday of the month. Joyce Wilson Kalama who is the group’s chairperson said that all traders will showcase curios, paintings, arts and crafts in the free market exhibition.
She said that for so long they have depended highly on the Italian market and tourists for survival and with the slump in the industry, most traders feel their efforts and goods are being wasted so that is why they decided to exploit the massive opportunity at disposal to make the would know about their existing products. Once they can establish a stable market, then traders can stop going to Maasai market in Nairobi Kenya to sell their goods, she added.
Meanwhile Jacob Mulanda who is the Chief Executive Officer of Mseto Africa, one of the organizations pioneering the project has encouraged the Kilifi government to include the event in its calendar to ensure it receives the much-needed attention ever year. This expo has come after less than a month from the time Mombasa and Kwale counties launched their cultural events and trade fairs all in an effort to improve tourism.
