I always meet several students pursuing tourism and hospitality courses in several universities, and many of them often ask this question: Is tourism marketable in Kenya?
To begin with, I want to assure you that there are several companies where you can apply hospitality and tourism skills in Kenya, but you should be aware today that jobs are not readily available for you. However, if you are at the right place at the right time, you may land on a well-paying job in hospitality industry.
Ever since the Al Shabaab menace started scaring tourists from Kenya, it has become very hard for individuals who pursued tourism courses. Several hotels, especially at the coast, have closed down, which has led to shrinking of job opportunities in the industry. Even though that is happening, there are several hotels coming up, which require skills from professionals who pursued related courses. Some of the new hotels include:
Villa Rosa Kempinki
EKA Hotel
Crown Hotel
Etc
The industry is growing despite security threat.
According to statistics in our possession, at least 40 % of tourism and hospitality graduates are currently jobless in Kenya, which is a worrying statistic. More worrying is that most of them have pursued hospitality courses up to undergraduate level.
I always tell graduates: “If you find yourself jobless two years after graduations. Try business”. This is the message I will pass to you too.
Having a job is not everything…you can start business and be more successful than anyone in the white collar jobs.
I have good news for you.Do you know a fast food restaurant in Nairobi can make you up to Ksh 20,000 per day? What of cake business?
Cake business is booming right now, try it too!