Tourist body turns to music in marketing Kenya

By Macharia Kamau
Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) will in the quarter to December use song and dance to market the country as a tourism destination. It will be staging local music in different theatre houses across Europe.

The musical, Out of Africa: The Magic of Kenya’, showcases Kenya’s cultural heritage and features a Kenyan cast of 15. It is slated for an international premiere on September 28 at Stadstheater Zoetermeer in The Netherlands.

The show will be staged in leading theatres in The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Denmark,  running until December. Out of Africa: The Magic of Kenya, is an all Kenyan cultural musical theatre show.

It is produced by Peter Ultee Productions.  It features a cast of 15 Kenyans selected in a competitive process in March and taken through elaborate rehearsals. The group is expect to stage at least 70 shows across Europe and seen by an audience of at least 40 000 people.

Tourism Minister Dan Mwazo said the aim of the musical was to improve on traditional marketing approaches.  “Theatre is a big communication medium in Europe and that’s why KTB is working with Peter Ultee Productions on this project,” he said. 
KTB Managing Director, Muriithi Ndegwa, said the 90-minute show will showcase the five regions of Kenya with the heart-warming vitality and musicality of the Kenyan artiste expected to give a real hot African night. The objective of the show is to promote Kenya as the preferred tourist destination and to raise the profile of the destination.

During the shows in Europe, KTB will involve in market tour operators to partner in this project and showcase their products.
The Musical theatre show comes at a time when KTB is focusing on the diversification of the tourist products to go beyond the beach and safari products that Kenya has been known for in most source markets. 

Out of Africa: The Magic of Kenya is coming on the back of the successful Maralal Camel Derby and ahead of November Lamu Cultural Festival, which are among some of the leading cultural events that have continued to attract tourists.