My recent visit to
Olkaria Geothermal plant in the Great Rift Valley region of Naivasha, Kenya for
a family weekend to experience what the geothermal spa has to offer, reminded
me of the many opportunities our country has to offer in terms of balneology to
the loved one amongst us suffering from skin ailments such as psoriasis, skin
rashes etc in order to stay healthy and tranquil while not only enjoying the
steam bath but also get a glimpse of seeing buffaloes and giraffes graze on the nearby hills , the move by Kengen
in diversifying in health tourism is
long overdue for country only considered as a safari destination , it brings
new dynamism in the way tourism is looked at with novel ideas like Eco and agro
tourism and cultural tourism. Though from what I gathered
from the tour guides the rates for locals are kes 300 and another kes 300 for
parking fees where as for resident citizens the damage was kes 500 and I guess
kes 1,000 for foreign tourists, though the underlying fact is the related
amenities are almost complete.
The
potential that the Kenyan Rift valley has in terms of offering the world’s best
natural health spas is enormous given its geothermal latent and the retirement
homes that are being set up in the happy valley of Kenya which is just one hour’s
drive away from the capital city Nairobi. The leading countries in geothermal related
health tourism like Iceland receive close to over 400,000 tourists per year. In
order for the Kenya tourism board to attract more than the 1.2 million tourists who
visit the country annually investing in medical tourism is a key priority especially
for the pensioners and any other group or individuals interested in natural
health cures. However to promote this a lot has to be invested in security and
education so that people understand the benefits of the healing powers of
geothermal water and even develop regulations that can allow for medical insurance
reimbursements for patients seeking treatment in authorized natural health spas
in the country .According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in
2011, the total impact of the medical tourism industry contributed 9 percent of
global GDP (over $6 trillion USD) and accounted for 255 million jobs in the
world. In the next decade, medical tourism is expected to grow by an
average yearly of 4 percent, contributing up to 10 percent of future global GDP
($10 trillion). Eventually, by 2022, it is estimated that 328 million jobs will
be created in the medical tourism industry: equal to 10 percent of jobs in the
world, the report added.
Though Kenya is not
considered as a top ten medical tourism destination I believe it has the
potential to conquer that particular sector, the recent demonstration by reknown
British billionaire Richard Branson to open a luxury safari camp in Masai Mara against
a back drop of the Westgate attacks and the subsequent travel bans issued by several western
nations is testimony that Kenya is still a preferred holiday destination on any day.
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