Kenya unveils major tourism promotion campaign in Italy

Kenya plans to use the ongoing world exhibition in Milan, Italy as a staging ground to restate the country’s position as a top tourist destination in Africa and mobilise export products into the European Union (EU) market.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie described the forum as an important arena to market Kenya’s tourist sites especially after the recent signing of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between EU and East African Community (EAC) trading bloc.

“We intend to use the six months of participation in the EXPO Milano to promote mobilisation of export products and strengthen our footprint in the EU Market,” she said in a statement.

Over 20 million visitors are expected at the EXPO Milano 2015, while 150 countries from across the globe are participating in the universal exposition which started on May 1 and will run up October 31, 2015.

Kenya’s participation in the Expo is structured around five thematic areas with each thematic area covering one month.

Export products

This is order to ensure Kenya maximises its presence in Milan to expose and promote her export products like coffee, tea, horticulture; captivating tourism attractions; rich art and cultural experiences and heritage.

The promotion campaign comes at a time when in neighbouring Tanzania, which competes with Kenya for visitors, a government-led marketing campaign helped boost tourist visits by 4 per cent in 2014 despite worries over security in East Africa.

A total of 1.14 million tourists visited in 2014 up from 1.095 million the previous year.

Tanzania earned $1.95 billion from tourism in 2014, up from $1.88 billion a year earlier, central bank data showed. Visitors mostly come from Britain, Germany, the United States and Italy.

Regional hub

Ms Kandie said Kenya, as a regional hub intends to leverage on this year’s exposition by showcasing her trade, tourism and investment opportunities under the theme statement: “Kenya: The Land of Unlimited Possibilities”.

The theme of the EXPO Milano 2015 is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” a theme that encompasses aspects of technology, innovation, culture, tradition, creativity and how they relate to food and diet as well as global dynamics.

The Cabinet Secretary visited the Kenyan stand at the Expo in Milan during the first week of the show with Export Promotion Council CEO Ruth Mwaniki and Kenya’s ambassador to Italy Josephine Gaita.

Speaking during the tour, Kandie said Kenya remains a top tourist destination and a compelling region which should be marketed to the world.