Kenya urges global tourism industry to join hands in combating COVID-19

Kenya on Wednesday urged the global tourism and travel organizations to form alliances and create synergies against the coronavirus crisis. 

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said alliances will be crucial in ensuring the growth and survival of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The most important thing right now is that coalitions are coming up and are being mooted... working in a united manner globally to see how we can create harmony," Balala said in a statement issued after taking part in an online tourism industry summit. 

The summit, dubbed "Hospitality Tomorrow," brought together over 2,000 global hospitality industry heads and professionals from across the globe to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry.

Anita Mendiratta, a special adviser to the World Tourism Organization secretary-general, said it is the right time to start conversations so as to make the critical connections needed to build the right understanding, relationships and actionable solutions to support everyone in the industry for a stronger response against the crisis.