Kenya Targets African Tourism to Mitigate COVID-19 Affect
The Kenya Tourism Board is intensifying its efforts to market Kenya to the rest of Africa by targeting key source markets in the African region.
- A tourist hub for East and Central African markets, Kenya relies on its heavy air traffic and higher standards of hospitality.
- Last weekend, the Kenya Tourism Board met with tour operators from Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia in the coastal city of Mombasa.
- Tourism in Africa is ranked as the fastest growing market in the world. Travel experts estimate that tourism numbers on the continent have grown by 8.6%.
Relying on the rich and untapped African tourism market, Kenya is now taking serious initiatives to attract tourists from other African countries to accelerate the recovery of tourism from a slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) last month stepped up efforts to market Kenya to the rest of Africa by targeting key source markets in the African region.
Abundant in wildlife, historical and cultural heritage, Kenya is among the African countries that have suffered the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the decline in tourist arrivals from major market sources in Europe and the United States of America.
Kenya is a tourist hub for the East and Central African markets and relies on its heavy air traffic and higher standards of hospitality for tourists than other countries in the East and Central African region.
Using its sophisticated air services, hotel and lodging facilities with a well-established tourism and travel base, Kenya is now targeting African visitors to fill a void created by the decline in international tourism.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) recently announced that the marketing of Kenya as an attractive travel destination for visitors from the rest of the continent has intensified following the relaxation of COVID-19 travel restrictions by a number of African states.
KTB Corporate Affairs Manager Wausi Walya said that there is immense tourism and travel potential in both the East African region and the African market, which the Board wants to develop through various platforms including the media.
Last weekend the board met with tour operators from Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia in the coastal city of Mombasa.
Kenya will organize various trips for African tour operators to introduce them to the country’s scenic attractions, including coastal beaches, wildlife sanctuaries and archaeological sites, Walya said.
“Kenya sees the African tourism market as strategic, with Uganda leading the way in visitor numbers to the country,” she said.
The steps KTB is now taking would increase tourist arrivals during this time as global tourism is being weakened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board also plans to host introductory tours to several attractive locations in Kenya to encourage the travel industry to try the Kenyan destination with its immense tourism potential to attract both regional and African markets.
A special cocktail party was organized for 15 tour operators from Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia who attended a product tasting from Kenya’s popular tourist destinations for a week.
The group of regional tour operators visited the major tourist attractions of Nairobi, Nanyuki, the Maasai Mara, Tsavo, Diani, Malindi and Watamu to see the various tourist attractions that Kenya has to offer to both African and global safari makers.
Tourism in Africa is considered to be the fastest growing market in the world. Travel experts estimate that tourism on the continent has increased by 8.6 percent in recent years, compared to a global average of seven percent.
The Kenya Tourism Board had determined that promoting intra-Africa tourism could at the same time catalyze the creation of opportunities within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with the need to enhance growth and collaboration among Africa’s tourist destinations to leverage existing potential to exploit on the continent.
Tanzania and Kenya supported the free movement of regional and international travel after the presidents of both neighboring countries agreed to improve regional travel and passenger traffic.
The African Tourism Board (ATB) is currently working closely with several African travel destinations to improve travel within Africa through regional tourism platforms.
