Tourism board bets on groups, high-end Indian travellers to boost revenue

 

Tourists disembarking from a Cruise Ship cristined Norwegian Dawn after arriving at the Port of Mombasa in Mombasa County on January 14, 2024. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Kenya is banking on the increasing demand for groups and high-end travellers from India to increase its tourism share from the Asian market.

Currently, the Asian market is ranked sixth among Kenya’s sources of tourists.

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), together with 12 travel trade companies, is currently undertaking roadshows in the major cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Kolkata to woo the Indian market.

KTB chief executive June Chepkemei in a statement disclosed that the market has recorded a tremendous increase in arrivals after the Covid-19 pandemic to post a 12.4 per cent growth last year with 106,863 arrivals, up from 95,038 visitors recorded in 2023.

She said though wildlife safari is known to the Indian market and especially the Maasai Mara, Kenya has packaged other diverse offerings putting the country on a competitive edge from other destinations.

“We are positioning Kenya as a diverse tourism destination to attract different types of clientele including honeymooners, adventurer enthusiasts, filming and business conferences among others from this Asian market,” Chepkemei said.

Air connectivity and the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) are some of the attributes that have enhanced the interest amongst Indians to travel to Kenya, she added.

Sector recovery

Kenya is experiencing a robust recovery and is projected to continue on a positive trajectory in this year.

Last year, Kenya closed with 2,253,428 arrivals, indicating a growth of about 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2023 that posted 1,948,785 arrivals.

Safari Trail CEO Rajay Thethy disclosed that meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) was a major area that Kenya as a destination would leverage to shore up its numbers.

“Combination of business and leisure is key for the Indian market with groups spending up to five days in Kenya. ETA facility has also greatly assisted in quickly turning around groups booking Kenya for MICE,” added Rajay.