NAIROBI: Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie has concluded a tour of key US cities, where she met with trade representatives, travel agents and the travel media.
Ms Kandie's charm offensive to Washington DC, Los Angeles and New York, which comes a week before President Obama's much anticipated visit to Kenya, is part of a wider engagement programme being run by the ministry to actively promote tourism and investment into Kenya from key source markets.
Obama will attend the Global Entrepreneur Summit (GES). This is a White House initiative that was instigated and fostered by the Obama administration.
It will bring together entrepreneurs, social innovators, business leaders, venture capitalists and philanthropists for an intensive conference to network, learn from each other, and identify ways to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The visit was coordinated jointly with the New York based African Travel Association (ATA) as part of concerted effort to raise awareness for the upcoming ATA congress, which will take place in Nairobi from November 9 to 14.
Over 1,500 key travel agents and tour operators, mainly from the US, are expected to attend the event.
Following a presentation at the New York Times offices, Kandie praised the strong relationship between Kenya and the US and the continued faith and confidence that visitors from the US have in Kenya.
BILATERAL TRADE
"For decades, Kenya and the US have enjoyed a very strong and special relationship and I am delighted that this has stood the test of time and is today stronger than ever," she said.
"The US is Kenya's second most important source market for tourism with over 100,000 visitors annually, and we are looking forward to direct flights from the US to Kenya starting soon. This will not only help increase visitor numbers but will also significantly boost bilateral trade and export," she added.
The Cabinet Secretary said Obama's visit and the fact that Kenya was selected to host GES is a huge boost to the country's global reputation as a major tourism, investment and entrepreneurship hub.
"This is a huge opportunity for our country, as the world will be looking at Kenya, which is why we came to the US this week to encourage Americans to follow their President and see Kenya as a safe, modern and dynamic place to visit and to invest in," she said.
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