Kenya’s Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala recently launched a campaign that seeks to promote the wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok County, and the humpback whale migration in Watamu Beach, Kilifi County.

The campaign aims to position Kenya as the home of these two naturally occurring phenomena.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Balala noted that the wildebeest migration remained one of Kenya’s most spectacular tourist attractions.

“Alongside the wildebeest migration, we have the annual migration of humpback whales from Antarctica to the East African coast. Kenya is indeed the home of the twin migration of the wildebeest and the humpback whales,” reports The Exchange.

The Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, through the Kenya Tourism Board, is working with well-known wildlife photographers to showcase the natural wonders of the two migrations, along with the country’s authentic and diverse tourism product offering, as part of the campaign.

Balala said his Ministry was busy formulating a detailed tourism development strategy for the Maasai Mara, which would include a policy on standards for vehicles permitted to access the reserve, vehicle capacity limits during various seasons of the year, and a sustainability strategy for the reserve.

The Exchange quoted Balala saying: “The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is committed and steadfast in its efforts to improve management of Maasai Mara in order to enhance the visitor experience for tourists coming into the reserve. We believe that Maasai Mara has the potential to attain the status of a World Heritage Site.”

Kenya is home to seven World Heritage Sites – Fort Jesus in Mombasa; Lamu Old Town; the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests; the Kenya lake system in the Great Rift Valley; Mount Kenya National Park and natural forest; Lake Turkana National Parks; and, most recently, the Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site in Migori County.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve was voted Africa’s leading national park during the 2017 World Travel Awards.

Balala also announced that the country’s tourism industry was on a steady growth path, adding that hotels within the Maasai Mara were currently at full capacity. "We anticipate the tourism peak season will see record visitor numbers both at the Maasai Mara and at the coast. Most hotels in the Mara are recording 98% occupancy levels.”

He encouraged tourists visiting the coast to extend their tour to Watamu, where they could witness the ongoing migration of humpback whales along the coast.