Foreign missions drawn from Asia and the Middle East have affirmed their commitment to support tourism marketing and create awareness about Kenya in their respective countries.
In a consultative forum organised by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) in partnership with the State Department of Foreign Affairs, the ambassadors shared insights meant to help grow Kenya’s tourism footprint in Asia and the Middle East.
Speaking during the forum, Economic Counsellor, Embassy of Jordan, Maram Makhamreh, said that partnership between Kenya and Jordan would be key in unlocking the bottlenecks that hinder seamless travel for the citizens of the two countries. She insisted that marketing was key, noting that Jordan had untapped potential that would be easily leveraged to boost arrivals to Kenya.
“Jordan offers immense tourism opportunities that can be packaged together with Kenya to attract visitors from our region. Our two countries enjoy strong ties, and we are ready to work closely with KTB to promote destination Kenya,” Makhamreh said.
She also took note of the milestone tourism pact signed between Kenya and Jordan recently, which she observed would open more gateways.
“With the signing of the MOU between Jordan and Kenya, we now have a platform where we can work together to gain experience. Jordan received 6 million tourists while we are a population of 11 million. So, each Jordanian has like two tourists. It is important that we learn from each other’s experiences and create complementary tourism packages,” she added.
The Asia and Middle East regions are rapidly growing markets representing a combined population of approximately 5 billion people who are seen as critical emerging markets for Kenya’s tourism growth.
The diplomats also highlighted the emerging travel trends, cultural nuances and consumer preferences that can inform Kenya’s marketing approach in the respective markets. They expressed their willingness to support Kenya’s tourism growth agenda while highlighting specific areas of intervention that would enhance visitor numbers from their respective countries.
Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Kenya Ruzaimi Mohamad highlighted the importance of the continued partnership with the Board especially through various joint marketing activities. He, however, pointed out specific areas of cooperation that will position Malaysia as the center of departure for Asian travellers to East Africa.
The issue of air connectivity featured prominently in the discussions, with Ruzaimi notably expressing concern regarding the looming suspension of AirAsia X direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi from September. He committed to engaging with the airline to reconsider the decision, noting that it was primarily based on current low-demand patterns but failed to factor in high peak seasons when demand for the flights could significantly increase.
Philippine Ambassador to Kenya, Marie Charlotte Tang, noted the power of digital marketing, adding that there exist opportunities to engage influencers and leverage social media platforms as well as develop affordable and culturally tailored travel packages to attract Filipino tourists.
Conversation on product diversification extended to promoting attractions beyond traditional offerings like the Wildebeest Migration in the Mara and the pristine nature of the beaches, to also include institutions of global significance such as the UN Complex in Gigiri, which, it was noted, is a unique asset that can appeal to diplomatic and international development professionals.
Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Kenya Chris Ellinger pointed out the potential to cater more for the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment which ranked third as purpose of visit at 22% in 2024, behind holiday/leisure and business conferences. Ellinger also spoke of emerging niches such as sports tourism which continues to attract more visitors and serves as a powerful destination branding tool.
On her part, KTB CEO June Chepkemei expressed appreciation of the insights shared to strengthen destination Kenya’s appeal in the Asian and Middle East markets.
“We realize that marketing Kenya with a ‘one-shoe-fits-all’ approach is no longer working, and therefore a more targeted approach is important. Our meeting with the foreign missions was to map out these markets together and share experiences and approaches needed to effectively segment the markets they represent,” Chepkemei said.
She urged the diplomatic missions to consider facilitating investment opportunities in the tourism sector, highlighting Kenya’s attractive incentives including zero tax on tourism investments in certain categories and government support for strategic tourism projects.
The forum is part of KTB’s broader strategy to leverage diplomatic channels for tourism promotion. Previously, KTB has engaged with foreign missions from traditional source markets and is currently implementing the ‘Ziara Kenya: One Diaspora, One Tourist’ campaign, which aims to mobilize the over 3 million Kenyans in the diaspora to market Kenya through their networks in host countries.
Source: Release
