Kenya set to attract tourists. Kenya says it will begin an aggressive marketing campaign to get tourists back to the East African nation currently staring at job and revenue losses due to insecurity in some its tourist destinations. The Kenya Tourism board says this will include a six month online campaign aimed at international visitors. The industry is in turmoil following a series of grenade and gun attacks that saw some foreign governments issue travel advisories and hundreds of British tourists evacuated from the coastal town of Mombasa. The Kenyan government has admitted that the industry is on its knees. Hoteliers are warning of losses running into millions of dollars. The industry employs at least 600 000 people and is one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners. “We still need to engage with the international markets, do cross marketing in terms of leasing with the foreign missions with a view in mind of lifting these travel advisories.” Managing Director of Kenya Tourism Board, Muriithi Ndegwa says: “In the light of recent insecurity incidences affecting the destination, Kenya’s reputation as a safe destination has been compromised.” Even before the latest travel warnings, arrivals were on a decline, with 1.5 million tourists visiting Kenya last year compared to 1.7 million the previous year. Now the country’s tourism board says it will begin a 6 month online reputation management campaign aimed at international tourists. Ndegwa says: “We still need to engage with the international markets, do cross marketing in terms of leasing with the foreign missions with a view in mind of lifting these travel advisories.” That and a local marketing campaign encouraging domestic tourism is Kenya’s bet on winning the numbers and the revenue, a long journey ahead for East Africa’s biggest economy.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 07:46:21 +0000
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