Kenya welcomed 80,320 Indian visitors in the ten months to October 2023
Kenya’s tourism marketing agency, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), is collaborating with Kenya’s flag carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) with the aim of marketing Kenya’s tourism attractions to the Indian travellers.
In a press statement, KTB says that the joint campaign, which kicked off on January 15, will also see the board collaborate with Kenyan tour operators and key travel partners in India, including Ease my Trip, Zenith, Pick your Trail, and N Chirag.
The statement adds that the campaign will be focussing on tapping into the growing potential of the Indian outbound tourism market and the vast untapped segments of Indian leisure travellers.
John Chirchir
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Acting CEO John Chirchir says that the partnership is reflective of a strategic focus and prioritisation 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,” says Chirchir.
He adds that the campaign will take advantage of pent-up demand, especially among India’s fast-growing middle class. The KTB head also 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,” Chirchir says.
The statement adds that 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.
“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,’’ says Chirchir.
Chirchir also highlighted that the recently launched universal Electronic Travel Authorisation (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 says.
Julius Thairu
Kenya Airways Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu underscores 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,’’ says Thairu.
The board says that with a population of 1.4 billion people, India is one of the most important source markets for tourism with Indian outbound tourism expenditure expected to hit USD 44.7 billion by 2032.
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.
