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Kenya woos Asian, Australian tourists

Xinhua, January 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya's tourism marketer said Friday it plans to embark on three-nation tour in Asia and Australia this month to woo tourists as the East African nation beefs up its marketing drive to reassure visitors the country is safe and open for business.

Kenya Tourism Board Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa plans to meet with various tourism stakeholders including key media representatives in three key growth markets in Australia, India and China.

"Australia, India and China are key emerging markets for Kenya with high growth potential," Ndegwa said in a statement issued in Nairobi. "The objective of the reassurance visits is to enhance media engagement in an effort to re-build confidence in the destination and strengthen Kenya's profile in the markets."

He said the visits will enable KTB to reassure the markets that the country is safe and Ebola free, which are currently the key concerns facing the sector.

The team will first visit India, which is currently among Kenya's top five key source markets, with a market share of 5.5 percent, as of December 2013. This year, Ndegwa said KTB will be executing a series of marketing programs in the Indian market aimed at positioning Kenya as a high value tourist destination.

"While in China and Australia, the KTB team will meet with tourism stakeholders, including the media, in a bid to restore confidence in the destination and increase awareness on Kenya's rich and diversified tourism attractions," he said.

The East African nation aims to be one of the top ten long-haul tourist destinations in the world, offering a high-end, diverse, and distinctive visitor experience.

KTB has for a long time been accused of focusing too much on wildlife and beach products, ignoring cultural, adventure and business facilities which have in the past relied on fragmented promotion efforts by the proprietors.

The board has in the past concentrated its promotion efforts on the traditional U.S. and European source regions, but has of late been diversifying to emerging markets such as India, the Middle East, Brazil and China. Endi