Destination Kenya is all set to attract Indian Outbound Tourism with a slew of initiatives planned for the upcoming season.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is coming to Ahmedabad on 30th Jan, Bangalore on 31st Jan & New Delhi on 6th Feb with B2B Trade Networking Roadshows. KTB is also participating at OTM Mumbai on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th of February to interact with the Indian travel trade fraternity & media.
There will be a high-level delegation from KTB along with leading DMCs, Hoteliers, Tour Operators & Service Providers from the Kenya Travel Industry, along with Kenya Airways, to make presentations and explore exciting opportunities to collaborate, tapping the high potential Indian market.
In 2022, the arrivals into Kenya from the Indian source market recorded a growth of 93.2% from 42,159 in 2021 to 81,458 in 2022. This is a recovery of 67% compared to the 2019 performance of 120,893.
KTB is also planning to sign new business deals in the Indian market as Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) leads travel trade members to this year’s Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) tourism fair in the country.
The expo is to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre, in Mumbai from the 2nd to the 4th of February, bringing together exhibitors from over 60 countries as destinations globally smart out of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Kenyan travel trade partners will take part in the 3-day exhibitions with the country seeking to reposition itself in the Indian market whose growth has picked up to about 90% by the close of last year compared to 2021. The OTM tourism fair is the largest gathering of travel trade buyers and professionals in India with over 1300 exhibitors from over 60 countries attending. Kenya’s participation in this event will allow it to tap into the growing Indian tourism market and promote its offerings to Indian travellers.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) acting CEO John Chirchir says OTM is giving Kenya an opportunity for re-entry into the Indian market that was severely affected by travel because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “India is one of the markets whose travel was negatively impacted with the Covid-19, we are now making a physical presence in the market after about 2 years of absence, and we hope to reap big from the fair,” says Chirchir.
Chirchir says the growth is a positive indication that the tourism business in India is on the right track to recovery even as KTB rolls out key promotional and marketing campaigns in the market. “These are part of our many initiatives to bring the market back to its performance recorded before the covid-19 pandemic. Attributes such as ease of access and connectivity, all-weather season as well as tourism offerings that cut across all the segments have continued to pull Indian travellers to Kenya,” said the CEO.
Last year, KTB hosted a familiarization trip in Nairobi for India’s leading travel companies and launched joint promotional campaigns with marketing companies such as FCM Travel Solutions India and Yatra to build traveller confidence.
Kenya Tourism Federation Chairman Fred Odek said international exhibitions remain a key platform for wooing international travellers, which he said were key in contributing to the revenue receipt for the sector. He said domestic tourism has sustained the tourism business through the Covid-19 pandemic period but added that international travellers have contributed a lion’s share in terms of revenues and lauded KTB for stepping up its in-marketing activities. “It is important we sustain our inbound market to keep up with the competing destinations that are beefing up their numbers to 2019. We are optimistic that we are going to sign new contracts during the OTM event,” said the Chairman.
Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Serena Hotels East Africa Rosemary Mugambi expressed her optimism that the OTM is expected to impact on the rise of hotel bookings within a short period. She said there is a lot of interest from Indian travellers to the country and the OTM expo comes at the right time when Kenya was in re-igniting the market which comes in handy during the low tourism season. According to Mugambi, international exhibitions continue enhancing top-of-mind awareness of Kenya among travellers and investors alike and hailed KTB for identifying key markets for exhibition and promotional activities.
Kenya is home to intimate, awe-inspiring, and magical travel experiences. All year round, visitors enjoy exhilarating wildlife experiences, the breathtaking outdoors and landscapes, the tranquil and adventure of Kenya’s coast, the enriching cultural encounters, and the warmth of the Kenyan people.
