With an Indian Ocean shoreline, mountainous highlands and sprawling deserts, Kenya’s landscapes are wealthy and various.
The East African nation is culturally various too, with over 40 ethnic teams dwelling inside its borders.
This cultural range implies that the nation has many conventional cuisines, and Kenya’s vacationer board is eager to spice up tourism by selling gastronomic experiences to travellers.
What's the hottest meals in Kenya?
The nation boasts conventional dishes similar to Ugali, a corn meal typically comprised of corn flour and served with a facet of grilled meat known as Nyama Choma. These dishes are already massively widespread in Kenya and have dominated Kenya’s tourism trade, which amassed $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion) from worldwide vacationers in 2021.
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Susan Ongalo, Chief Govt Officer on the Kenya Tourism Federation believes that incorporating the usage of digital expertise into cultural meals tourism will assist to advertise the East African nation as greater than only a safari vacation spot.
“Gastronomy is a brand new area of interest for Kenya though we now have virtually 50 cultures”, explains Ongalo. “Kenya is beginning to have a look at totally different tourism merchandise aside from vacationers having fun with the seaside. Kenya has realised that the cultural meals house inside tourism has been untapped.”
What meals ought to I attempt in Kenya?
To assist Kenya Tourism to understand its plan of making experiences out of conventional meals tradition, the tourism cupboard collaborated with culinary coaching establishment, Utalii Faculty to place collectively dishes impressed by Kenya's various tribes.
Inspirational dishes embrace a Kisumu fish dish made with coconut and a coconut drink known as Madafu, which is drunk in cities and cities alongside the coast of Kenya.
“Madafu is a non-alcoholic drink that's identified to cleanse your system after indulging in meals. The alcoholic model of it's known as Mnazi”, explains Ongalo.
Kenya’s hospitality sector grew by over 56 per cent in 2022, and, in line with Jackson Amutala, Satisfaction Inn Motels’ Group Director of Operations and Enterprise Improvement, conventional gastronomy experiences have boosted room occupancy charges.
“More often than not, when our friends arrive at our lodges, they wish to expertise Swahili meals as we all know it from our grandmothers. Infusing tradition into our eating places is essential as a result of it's who we're”, says Amutala.
It's hoped that the push for gastronomic tourism will assist to construct a meals pageant tradition that may advance culinary heritage.
How meals tourism is rising in Kenya
A research on gastronomic tourism improvement in Kenya by Josphine Jebotip reveals that within the western a part of Kenya, gastronomic tourism has primarily been modelled round regional meals which might be ready and served in properties, eating places, lodges, meals kiosks and numerous ceremonies.
Comparatively, meals tourism may be very effectively superior in developed international locations, whereas efforts to develop the sector in growing international locations like Kenya are nonetheless wanting.
“The truth is the Kenya Tourism 2030 Blueprint identified that the product market and readiness of Kenya’s cultural and heritage tourism was common, although the nation has a wealthy tradition and heritage”, reveals Jebotip. “That is indicative of the existence of gastronomic tourism assets in Kenya which must be developed”, she explains.
The research additionally exhibits that whereas there could also be a robust push to advertise Kenya’s gastronomy, meals security, hygiene and high quality points are different challenges that may gradual the event of the sector.
“Meals security and high quality issues related to poor dealing with throughout manufacturing, assortment, processing and distribution have been strongly cited as key points that threatened the event of gastronomic tourism in international locations like Nigeria”, says Jebotip.
“As such, if the event of gastronomic tourism is to achieve success in Kenya, meals security and hygiene protocols should be a high precedence”, the research revealed.
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