Board promotes Kenya’s hidden tour treasures
By KNA, February 9, 2023Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has shifted focus to marketing hidden treasures of the country, as it eyes to improve earnings.
The State Corporation is working with other stakeholders, including Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) and the county governments, in unlocking domestic tourism potential in the country’s cultural heritage, places of natural beauty, eco-tourism and places of historical importance.
KTB Marketing Executive, Margaret Kamau, says there are 1,052 (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Unesco World Heritage Sites located in 165 Party States, out of which Kenya hosts six sites: Fort Jesus, Lamu Old Town, Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests, Great Rift Valley, Lake Turkana National Park and Mount Kenya National Park/Forest.
She said although, coastal beach holidays and wildlife safaris still remained attractive, the Board was also aggressively marketing alternative core tourism products that the country could offer from its diverse niches, including culture, cuisine, entertainment, sports, nature (beach and safari) and Meetings, Incentives, Exhibitions, and Conferences (Mice) tourism.
The KTB Marketing Executive said the country is blessed with many destinations that most Kenyans can visit, including little known physical features such as waterfalls, craters, gorges and lakes, prehistoric sites, national museums and wild animals, among others.
To harness domestic tourism potential, she added, more effort is required to locally create more awareness about tourists’ attractions such as Thim Lich Ohinga stone fortress in Nyanza, the grave of explorer David Hannington in Mumias, the Kipteber meteorite historical mountain where the seven sub-tribes of the Kalenjin are said to have originated and Italian war memorial church, that housed over 600 prisoners of war in Mount Kenya region among others.
Kamau stated that most local and foreign tourists only know of the generic attractions such as the Maasai Mara and Mombasa. This she noted has not only put a strain on the facilities and capacity but has also left the tourism industry largely dependent on a few attractions. “We have also been looking to grow domestic tourism using the “You deserve a holiday” campaign to get the residents excited about the various destinations that their country has to offer. There are many Kenyans who are interested in travel but lack sufficient information,” she continued.
Magical Kenya
The state body which aims to drive and support the effective marketing of Kenya’s tourism products, also runs the Magical Kenya website. It is on this website that in addition to showcasing Kenyan tourist destinations, also lists discounted packages for local residents.
She was speaking during the campaign sponsored by Magical Kenya in Nakuru that brought together officials from Baringo and Nakuru County Governments, domestic airlines, tour operators and hoteliers.
The Marketing Executive indicated that the “You deserve a holiday” campaign also covered all destinations in Kenya that offered rock climbing, bird watching, golf tourism, adventure sports, leisure tourism and wildlife tourism.
“We are committed to expanding areas that have previously not been showcased as well as those that require to be transformed into top travel experiences,” she said.
Kamau pointed out that conclusion of the exercise will give the board an edge in marketing the areas and help the country generate extra income.
As a way of creating awareness, the board has visited some of the historical, cultural and geographical sites in the parts of the country in a bid to identify their niche segments and offer advice on provision of affordable packages and experiences that meet the needs of potential local travellers. “Despite Kenya’s reputation as a hub of rich tourism, the focus has been largely on wildlife tourism, ignoring the several forms of tourism that the country has to offer. We are working with industry players such as hoteliers, tour companies and guides in drawing attraction to the hidden gems that Kenya has in store,” she added.
Kamau observed that apart from bullfighting, Kakamega Forest and Mt Elgon, are among major tourist attractions in Western Kenya.
Nyanza region for instance the KTB marketing executive added, had rich cultural and archaeological diversity and is home to the famous Kit Mikayi (ancient rocks heaped on another, which does not disintegrate even when there is earthquake or inclement weather. “You deserve a holiday” initiative also encourages the private sector and local communities to develop “out of park” tourism activities such as mountain biking. The promotion is further encouraging visits to cultural and spiritual sites, cultural performances and community walks’” she added.
Disposable income
Kamau challenged Kenyans to drop the notion that tourism is only a preserve for the wealthy or those with disposable income and firms in the tourism sector to also come up with reasonable packages affordable by most Kenyans..
William Kimosop, a trade and tourism officer in Baringo County Government, stated that colossal investments as well as political goodwill are needed to prepare the country for domestic tourism as the state continues marketing it.
“We are sitting on a goldmine as far as domestic tourism is concerned and the opportunities will become a reality if county governments and their leaderships take up the issue of infrastructure and marketing seriously,” he said. – KNA