The East African 20 December, 2004 The $6.25 million initiative by the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) to market Kenya as a leading tourist destination is finally paying off. After suffering a downturn due to terrorist bombings in 1998 and recent damaging travel advisories issued by the US and UK governments, the local tourism industry is showing signs of a turnaround.
The US travel warnings are said to have cost the tourism industry about Ksh15 billion ($187.5 million) in lost earnings.
"Tourist numbers are now looking good. Overall, the numbers have grown by an impressive 70 per cent compared with last year. We expect to see more growth in numbers during this high season," KTB corporate affairs and public relations manager Rose Kwena said
Ms Kwena says the number of tourist arrivals could reach one million by the end of the year, which would be a 100 per cent increase from last year's figure.
Industry sources predict that next year will be even brighter, with about 20,000 tourists expected every month in the first quarter. Most tour operators and major hotels, especially those along the Coastal tourism circuit, are reporting increased bookings for next year.
According to George Kariuki, the group sales manager of Heritage Hotels, there have been many inquiries out of the renewed interest for Kenya as a tourist destination. However, the marketing drive needs to be sustained.
"Yes, we're receiving many enquiries. We see a growing interest for Kenya by tourists, but we need to sustain the current marketing campaign if the industry is to recover fully," Mr Kariuki said.
Globally, the tourism industry is booming. In its latest bulletin entitled World Tourism Barometer, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) says that 2004 has been a strong year for the industry.
"The year 2004 will go down in history as a very strong period for tourism. According to an initial projection, the number of international tourist arrivals is heading for an all-time record, as growth for the entire year is estimated to reach around 10 per cent," the report says. WTO says the North African destinations of Morocco and Tunisia have driven growth in Africa and lifted the growth rate of the region to an estimated 9 per cent.
This year, the board has spent Ksh180 million ($2.25 million) in a marketing drive in the UK and parts of Europe that has yielded a renewed interest in Kenya as a preferred tourist destination.
The board's immediate concern will now be on capitalising on this interest to promote Kenya as a specialist destination for niche markets such as bungy jumping, adventure, fishing, golf and white-water rafting.
Since 2002, KTB has been involved in a high level publicity blitz aimed at marketing Kenya's tourism potential to the outside world. The campaign has worked in restoring the tourism sub-sector as one of Kenya's top foreign exchange earners. The number of tourist arrivals has now started rising.
According to Kenya's Economic Survey 2004, visitor arrivals grew by 14.5 per cent in 2003, compared with a marginal increase of 0.8 per cent in 2002. Tourism remains a key component of Kenya's economy as it contributes 12 per cent of the gross domestic product, 9.2 per cent of the gross national product, and generates an estimated 14.7 per cent of foreign exchange earnings. The sector generates about 11 per cent of total revenues to the exchequer.
The sector accounts for 70 per cent of all visa fee collections and airport arrivals. According to the survey, tourism earnings increased from Ksh20.1 billion ($251.25 million) in 2002 to Ksh22.5 billion ($281 million) last year. The survey predicts a higher growth for the sector this year over previous years.
The increasing tourism interest this year has seen some airlines increasing their flights to Kenya. For instance, British Airways has now increased its direct flights to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from five early this year to 10 per week.
In September last year, the national carrier Kenya Airways spread its wings to the Far East to tap the booming tourism market in the region and is currently operating four weekly flights on the Bangkok-Hong Kong routes. The region has over the past few months emerged as a major source of tourists.
Next year, the board plans to launch a website targeting visitors from the Far East, especially China, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, to coincide with Kenya's newly acquired status as an approved tourist destination by the Chinese government, which is scheduled to be formalised this Wednesday.
Since KTB sent a delegation to China last year, there has been an increase of Chinese tourists coming to Kenya, with the number rising by about 120 per cent from 8,000 last year to over 17,000 by March this year.
Charter flights to Moi International Airport, Mombasa, have also risen over the past two months. As of last week, the airport was receiving an average of 20 charter flights per week, bringing in about 5,000 tourists mainly from the UK, Germany, Italy and France. The numbers are expected to increase as the festive season draws near.
Among the charter airlines using the airport are Britannia Direct, Excel Holland, Excel Belgium, African Safari Airways, Volare of Italy and Excel Airways UK. Locally, KTB is now gearing up to tap the multi-billion dollar cruise tourism and has lobbied to have a modern cruise ship terminal built at the port of Mombasa. |