Kenya‘s tourism marketing agency – Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is collaborating with Kenya’s flag carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) with the aim of marketing the destinations abundant tourism attractions to the Indian traveller.
The joint airline campaign, which kicked off on January 15, 2024 will also see the board collaborate with Kenyan Tour Operators and key travel partners who include Ease my Trip, Zenith, Pick your Trail, and N Chirag.
The campaign will be focusing on tapping into the growing potential of the Indian outbound tourism market and the vast untapped segments of Indian leisure travellers.
India is consistently one of the top source markets for Kenya’s tourism, with a steady increase in tourist arrivals over the years. Kenya welcomed 80,320 Indian visitors in the ten months to October 2023, continuing the recovery to pre-Covid numbers of 122,649. With the new joint campaign, KTB aims to build on this momentum and further boost tourist arrivals from India.
Speaking on the campaign, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Ag. CEO John Chirchir noted that the partnership is reflective of a strategic focus and prioritization of a growing and high-value market.
“India is a very important source market for Kenya, and we want to strengthen our presence to capture a bigger share of the market. Leisure travel from India is growing rapidly, and this campaign with KQ and leading tour operators will help showcase why Kenya should be the destination of choice for Indian travellers,” said Chirchir.
He stated that the campaign will take advantage of pent-up demand, especially among India’s fast-growing middle class. He further highlighted Kenya’s appeal to Indian travellers, especially families, with the diversity of experiences available.
“With multiple partners on board, we are able to leverage synergies and each stakeholder brings their expertise to the table. Kenya Airways provides attractive connectivity while the tour operators have the ability to package and market Kenya competitively. We look forward to showcasing the diversity of experiences that Kenya offers the Indian market,” he added.
The Indian travel trade professionals present during the meet unanimously agreed on the need for a concerted push in overall and consumer marketing for Western Australia tourism. They advocated for increased awareness of the destination, aggressive promotional campaigns and the creation of segment-specific packages to cater to diverse traveller interests.
“With direct flights between Nairobi and Mumbai, we want to work closely with airlines and other partners to showcase that Kenya is much more than a safari destination and has spectacular offerings even during the shoulder seasons,” said ChirchirChirchir also highlighted that the recently launched universal Electronic Travel authorization (ETA) regime for travellers to Kenya will be a major boost in attracting more visitors from India and across the world.
“The new policy will undoubtedly add to our efforts in attracting more Indian visitors to Kenya. By reducing entry barriers, we aim to make it even more convenient for travellers to experience the wonders of Kenya first-hand. We now want to scale up destination marketing efforts in India’s key cities,” he noted.
Kenya Airways Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu Chief underscored the airline’s commitment to boosting connectivity between India and Kenya. “Kenya Airways continues to strengthen links between Kenya and India with daily flights between Nairobi and Mumbai. Through this partnership, we want to open up more of Kenya’s tourism offerings to Indian visitors and make travel between the two countries even more convenient,” Thairu said.
The joint campaign comes at a time when KTB is ramping up its destination marketing efforts in key source markets worldwide. The comprehensive strategy includes roadshows, trade fairs, exhibitions and other initiatives aimed at strengthening Kenya’s brand appeal, growing new tourism segments, and making Kenya top-of-mind for travellers and trade partners.
