Between October 29th and November 25th, 2024, the Tourism and Cultural Heritage (TCH) Project Manager of the Go Blue Kenya Project and the component’s financial expert visited six coastal counties in Kenya. The visits were part of the Camões IP Field Mission to assess the progress and impact of 16 grantees supported by the TCH component. These projects are funded by the European Union, co-funded, and managed by Camões IP with technical support from Sustainable Travel and Tourism Africa (STTA).
The mission included stops in Kwale, Mombasa, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Tana River, and Lamu counties, where grantees are working on various initiatives to promote tourism and cultural heritage in the coastal region.
During the field mission, the Tourism and Cultural Heritage (TCH) Project Manager worked with the grantees to review and update their project reports while closely tracking the progress and achievements of each initiative. The financial expert worked alongside the grantees, addressing financial management concerns and ensuring that project budgets were being accurately monitored and utilized effectively. Meanwhile, the technical assistance team, Sustainable Travel and Tourism Africa (STTA), offered technical support by guiding the grantees in refining their business plans, strengthening their monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and enhancing their marketing strategies and communication and visibility plans.
In addition to these reviews, the team engaged with stakeholders through meetings held with the Directorate of Tourism in each of the six counties. These discussions, supported by the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP) Secretariat, emphasized the need for continued support from county governments to ensure the success and sustainability of the grantees’ initiatives and to also review the implementation status of the Kenya Coast Tourism and Cultural heritage blueprint, which was launched by the component in October 2023.
County tourism directors, who have been actively collaborating with the grantees, reaffirmed their commitment to aligning these projects with local development goals, reinforcing the broader vision of a thriving and sustainable coastal tourism sector. The implementation of the blueprint is also ongoing.
With the Go Blue Kenya Project nearing its end and many grantees’ projects in their final stages, the field mission provided an opportunity to reflect and align efforts. The visits highlighted the project’s commitment to developing a sustainable tourism sector that supports local communities and preserves Kenya’s coastal cultural heritage.