With World Tourism Day approaching on 27 September 2025, Garissa County has launched high-level preparations geared toward spotlighting green investments, environmental conservation, and sustainable tourism.
At a planning meeting held at the County Headquarters, Governor Nathif Jama chaired discussions aimed at ensuring the county showcases its natural heritage and delivers an event emphasizing both culture and ecological responsibility.
Governor Jama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable tourism, noting that key infrastructure projects at the Bour Algy Giraffe Sanctuary are already underway.
These include construction of modern restaurants, traditional Somali houses (Aqal Herio), an education center for visitors and locals alike, and installation of water troughs to support wildlife.
Such facilities are designed not only for tourism appeal but also to promote heritage preservation and biodiversity protection.
The global theme for World Tourism Day 2025 is “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” placing emphasis on how tourism can drive environmentally responsible growth, protect natural resources, and empower communities.
This theme calls upon governments, civil society, and private actors to invest in sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, heritage conservation, and responsible stewardship of landscapes and ecosystems.
At the meeting, senior county leadership, Kenya Wildlife Service wardens from Garissa and Masalani, Ishaqbini Conservancy staff, and the Game Warden from Bour Algy Giraffe Sanctuary pledged support to ensure that Garissa’s celebrations align with both national and global aspirations.
Participants committed to mobilizing resources and coordinating roles to deliver a high-impact event capable of attracting visitors, investors, and media to Garissa’s ecosystems and heritage sites.
Garissa County plans to use World Tourism Day 2025 as a platform to reveal its investment potential, including green tourism infrastructure, eco-friendly hospitality, and heritage-based attractions.
Stakeholders will encourage partnerships with conservation organizations, private investors, and community groups to develop sustainable lodges, trails, visitor-education programs, and cultural experiences that honour local traditions while preserving the environment.
Globally, World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980 and is observed annually on 27 September in recognition of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s statutes of 1970.
The 2025 theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation” urges all tourism-related sectors to shift from recovery to long-term resilience and to ensure that development practices leave positive legacies for communities and planet alike.
As Garissa readies itself, Governor Jama’s government hopes the event will do more than celebrate, it aims to catalyze lasting change: boosting eco-tourism, protecting wildlife, and generating economic opportunities for local communities, particularly youth and women, who have often been left out of mainstream tourism investment.