Kenya, the East Africa tourism giant, is not relenting on its efforts at wooing more Africans to travel within the continent, especially to the magical country for tourism.
Furthering that effort, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), was in the West African region on roadshows to sell the country’s tourism attractions to her western brothers.
From Accra in Ghana, Abuja and Lagos both in Nigeria, executives of KTB were in the two countries trumpeting the uniqueness of their country, which is tagged ‘Magical Kenya’ in the global tourism parlance.
Read also: Sierra Leone takes tourism campaign to global tourists
Speaking on the sideline of the Lagos roadshow, Alex Tunoi, marketing manager, Africa, KTB, said Kenya is seeking to grow its tourism numbers from Nigeria, Africa’ most populous country, by 10 percent from the 35,000 annual tourists it receives from the West African nation.
On the rationale for the roadshows, Tunoi said they are part of the board’s strategy of diversifying its source markets, with a focus on West Africa as one of its key source markets to grow its arrivals into Kenya.
“The reason why we are here is part of our strategy for diversifying the source markets, and we are focusing on West Africa as one of our key source markets to grow numbers of tourism arrivals into Kenya. We have noticed that Africans are beginning to travel, and they have the propensity for travel, and they are looking for new and exciting destinations. We are here as Kenya Tourism Board to offer this opportunity to the Nigerian market for them to come to Kenya and enjoy what Kenya has to offer,” he explained.
Apart from sharing with the Nigerian market all the attractions that Kenya has to offer, Tunoi and his team, which included some KTB staff and some hoteliers and tour operators, also used the opportunity to create awareness on what the Kenyan government has put in place to ease travel restrictions and to make Kenya more accessible to the market.
“We are also here to put our business people in touch with your business people. So, this is a business-to-business meeting so that we can be able to work with the trade partners here in Nigeria, and through this partnership grow travel arrivals into Kenya,” Tunoi said further.
According to him, KTB has researched on what the Nigerian market needs and has gone ahead to provide them to ensure memorable experiences for Nigerian visitors.
Read also: Growing FX demand for education, medical tourism putting pressure on naira Cardoso
“There are many attractions. Urban Adventure in Kenya has grown tremendously. There are a lot of new developments that are happening within the city. There is an opportunity for shopping, fine dining, for golfing, for the traditional circuits as well, like safari, wildlife, and also breathtaking beaches as well. These are what we are bringing into this market because we realize that Nigerians are beginning to seek a lot of these products. We are seeing them coming into Kenya to consume these products. So, this is what we are bringing out to the market,” he said.
On affordability of the offerings compared to other East Africa countries with similar products, Tunoi said that Kenya offerings are value for money and are competitively priced despite their uniqueness.
“We have various kinds of products and services to cater for every individual’s needs. And working with our partners here, and that is why we have our two operators here, they can customize packages for you depending on what your needs are. So, it is affordable and depending on what you are looking for, Kenya can afford you that.”
On security, he noted that Kenya is very safe, while the government has put measures in place to ensure that travelers are able to enjoy their experiences in a safe and fun environment.
Moreover, Magical Kenya, the country’s prime product, which will be coming up later in the year, according to him, has been primed with fun activities to excite tourists and adventure seekers.
Also speaking at the Lagos leg of the roadshow, Steve Biko, regional sales manager, Sarova Hotels and Resort, noted that the hospitality firm is poised to welcome Nigerian visitors, amid exceptional service, which the brand is known for.
Biko placed importance on the Nigerian market, saying that it is a key market for the East African country, hence beneficial to drive tourism traffic from the most populous country in Africa.
Read also: Sierra Leone explores global tourism opportunities at FITUR
Other hoteliers and tour operators, as well as Kenya Airways expressed their readiness to collaborate in offering Nigerian visitors memorable experiences in Kenya, whether on business trip or holiday.
