Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has announced free entry to all game parks and reserves for Kenyans on Saturday, September 28, 2024.
This initiative is part of the celebrations marking UN World Tourism Week, which kicks off on Monday. The gesture is intended to promote domestic tourism and encourage Kenyans to explore and appreciate the nation’s rich heritage.
Speaking at a World Rhino Day event held at Sereolipi School in Samburu County on Sunday, CS Miano emphasized the importance of this opportunity. “The culmination of this significant event will allow Kenyans free access to all game parks and reserves on Saturday, September 28, 2024,” she stated.
Miano urged citizens to take full advantage of this chance to discover the country’s natural attractions. “I encourage Kenyans to turn out in large numbers to see what our parks and reserves have to offer,” she added. She also reminded visitors to adhere to safety regulations while exploring these wildlife-rich areas.
This year’s UN World Tourism Day will focus on the crucial role of the tourism sector in promoting peace, fostering cultural understanding, and supporting reconciliation efforts worldwide. The theme, Tourism and Peace, underscores the connection between travel and peaceful coexistence.
On rhino conservation, Miano highlighted Kenya’s commitment to protecting rhino populations and other wildlife for future generations. “At the Ministry level, we have embraced innovative technologies such as drones and forensic evidence to strengthen our rhino conservation efforts,” she explained.
Kenya is a vital habitat for the eastern black rhino subspecies, which can be found in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Sera Community Conservancy, and several private sanctuaries in the Laikipia region. Over half of Kenya’s total rhino population resides in Laikipia alone.
The ongoing national wildlife census may reveal even higher rhino numbers than those recorded in 2022. Miano expressed optimism about efforts to revive the northern white rhino from extinction, stating, “This ambitious and commendable effort aims to create northern white rhino embryos from genetic material and eventually implant them into southern white rhino females to produce calves.”
