Kenya eyes Eastern Europe for tourist arrivals
- Source: Xinhua
- [12:13 June 27 2009]
- Comments
Kenya said on Friday it has launched a tourism marketing campaign in Eastern Europe with the first stop being Moscow, where 200,000 US dollars has been provided for the initial tapping of the Russian tourism source market.
Tourism Minister Najib Balala, who is leading a marketing delegation in the key eastern European tourist source markets of Russia, the Czech Republic and Poland, said the initial investment will focus on consumer advertizing and placement of 36 billboards at strategic points in the city of Moscow.
"The motive of reaching out to Russia and Eastern Europe is to increase the number of arrivals from this important market," Balala said in a statement from the Tourism Ministry.
"In doing so Kenya will have diversified her tourists markets and avoided over-reliance on the traditional markets of Western Europe and North America," he added.
The statement said the initiative was part of the Kenya Tourist Board Tourist Source Market Diversification Program which runs from June to August.
Balala also announced the opening of a Marketing Development Representative office in Moscow represented by a reputable international firm, "Aviareps Russia". The firm was appointed two months ago and has already started work.
Last year, Kenya received a modest 3,000 tourists from Russian, but this number is remarkable given the minimal tourism promotion investments that Kenya has devoted to the country.
Owing to its expansive population of 142 million people with a very high per capita income of 14, 700 dollars, the Russian federation has a high potential as a tourist source market.
As part of the current marketing initiative, the Kenya Tourist Board will organize a familiarization trip for Russian travel writers, travel trade and investors to Kenya in July to experience the destination.
Then they will be in a better position to help market Kenya in Russia.
Even though there are no direct air connections between Nairobi and Moscow, the minister said it is possible that by the end of 2009, there will be direct flights either through charter, or by a scheduled airline following the launch of the Kenya destination in Russia.
Kenya's tourism earnings declined by 20 percent in 2008 to 52. 71 billion shillings (about 676 million U. S. dollars) from the previous year's 65.4 billion shillings.
KTB attributed the reduction in earnings to the country's post- election violence in 2008, which battered the east African nation's economy and scarred visitors.