Drive to market western circuit launched

Kisumu County Tourism Achie Alai (second left) flanked by hoteliers from Western region during a press conference of tourism marketing (Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

KISUMU, KENYA: A new marketing campaign to position the western tourism circuit as an alternative destination has been launched

The circuit is considered under-exploited, as more campaign has been concentrated on Mombasa and the Maasai Mara.

The campaign dubbed "We Western" (We-estern)  Kenya Tourism is an effort of Kisumu hoteliers and tour and travel operators. The drive seeks to have the travel agencies market the circuit as an alternative gateway.

The drive birthed during the last western Kenya hotel managers annual conference seeks to coordinate tourism destination marketing of the region at the International, regional and local levels.

The new campaign looks to sell the circuit’s attractions to both domestic and international tourists as alternatives to the conventional beach and safari.

To kick off the campaign, the association plans to host Nairobi based tour and travel agencies, influencers and the media for a five day familiarization trip focused on showcasing a variety of experiences including lake excursions and visits to key destinations.

The association’s chair Ouma Oluoko said during the launch in Kisumu they will also host international travel-trade to boost international marketing.

The association is also working with local airlines to boost visitations into Kisumu.