The 4th Annual SWAA Conference 2019

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019: Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala has called on the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) to team up with the Spa and Wellness Association of Africa (SWAA) for the development of standards and certifications on spa and wellness in Kenya.

Speaking while meeting the Spa & Wellness Association of Africa (SWAA) in Mombasa to discuss medical and wellness tourism in the country, CS Balala noted that the industry was ripe for the establishment of such standards which would conform to global standards, while taking into consideration Kenya’s social and cultural fabric. He noted that such standards would benefit a great deal from the introduction of a curriculum with training in the industry through the Kenya Utalii College.

Kenya is hosting the 4th edition of SWAA symposium which brings together representatives come from countries such as Mauritius, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cape Verde, Nigeria, The UK, France, USA, Denmark, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

“I believe there is potential in this kind of Tourism and that is why I am urging both the Tourism Regulatory Authority and the Spa and Wellness Association of Africa to work together for the formulation and implementation of a series of standards and certifications to help enhance the offering to travelers and tourists,” he said.

He added:
“It is my conviction that by partnering with the Kenya Utalii College for the development of a training curriculum on spa and wellness, we will have added significant value to the industry and help in its growth and development. I will personally take it upon myself to discuss the matter with the Cabinet Secretaries of Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to see how we can carry on with this matter,” he said.

With some wellness and medical aspects of the industry, such as physiotherapy, reaching up to the Ph.D. level there is a need to include the Ministries of Health and Education in the conversation. The Ministry of Education will see that the curriculum developed meets the Kenyan standard and that the training the students will get is advanced.

Kenya is currently ranked fifth in Africa behind Mauritius, South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco in the spa and wellness industry; a clear indication that there is potential to be explored in the country regarding the matter given that the global wellness industry is valued upwards of $4 trillion.

To operationalize the engagement, Balala has instructed Tourism Principal Secretary, Mr. Joe Okudo, to draft a Memorandum of Understanding to actualize proposed areas of working with SWAA for the official unveiling.

The greatest challenge facing the Spa and wellness industry in Kenya is the expense; with equipment to run such an industry cost up to 60-70% times more than other countries. Balala promised to look into the matter and see on ways we can cut on the cost in order to increase our GDP.

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