L-R: Alex Tonui -KTB; Ikechi Uko Akwaaba Travel market, Judy Kahuki – Sarova Hotels; Consaga Khisa, Destination Connect; Fiona Ngesa – KTB; Kiiru Mahiaini; ITL Safaris; Steve Biko- Sarova hotels
Kenya Tourism Board, KTB, is seeking to grow its tourism numbers from Africa’ most populous country, Nigeria by 10% from the 35,000 annual tourists it receives from the West African nation.
The board recently held a roadshow in the country, particular in Abuja and Lagos, to woo Nigerian tourists to visit the east African nation and savour its numerous tourism offerings.
Speaking on the sideline of the Magical Kenya Roadshow held in Lagos, Alex Tunoi, Marketing Manager, Africa, KTB, said the reason for holding the roadshow in Nigeria is 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.
He said, the country’s prime product, Magical Kenya which will be coming up later in the year, has been primed with fun activities to excite tourists and adventure seekers, noting that Urban Adventure in Kenya has grown tremendously.
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According to him, there are a lot of new developments that are happening within the city of Nairobi adding that there is an opportunity for shopping, fine dining, golfing, for traditional circuits as well as safari, wildlife, and also breath-taking beaches for beach lovers as well.
He said: “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 noticed that Africans are beginning to travel, and they have the propensity for travel, and they are looking for new and exciting destinations. And we are here as Kenya to offer this opportunity to this market for them to come to Kenya and enjoy what Kenya has to offer.
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“At the moment we are receiving just over 35,000 tourism arrivals from Nigeria. We intend to grow that by 10% and subsequently grow it over the next couple of years.
“There are a lot of new developments that are happening within the city. So that is something that we are bringing here. There is an opportunity for shopping, an opportunity for fine dining, for golfing, for the traditional circuits as well, like safari, wildlife, and also breath-taking beaches as well. This is what we are bringing into this market because we realize that Nigerians are beginning to seek for a lot of this. We are seeing them coming into Kenya to consume these products. So, this is what we are bringing out to the market.”
Speaking on affordability of its offerings compared to other East Africa countries with similar products, Tunoi said Kenya has unique tourism sites known only to the her
adding that it is the only country in the world that has a national park in a city.
He added that the government has put measures in place to ensure that travelers are able to enjoy their experiences in a safe and fun environment.
“We have various kinds of products and services to cater for every individual 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.”