Kenya: The Government of Kenya has launched new groundbreaking rules named the “West Africa Roadshow”. The new initiative aims to promote the richness and diversity of the country’s travel destinations, which includes a significant change in its visa policy.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) revealed that its target is to boost the arrival of tourists from West Africa by promoting business and leisure travel.
KTB and Kenya Airways are leading over 15 travel trade companies for in-market activations that are scheduled for Feb 5 to 9, 2024 in various cities of Nigeria and Ghana.
It is a part of visionary endeavour, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), country’s marketing agency revealed that its target is to boost arrival of tourists from West Africa by promoting business and leisure travel.
The acting KTB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – John Chirchir, emphasised the significance of the ‘West Africa Roadshow’ program during a meeting that marketed the beginning of a series of roadshows in Nigeria and Ghana.
CEO Chirchir highlighted the integral role of the West African market in the strategy to attract tourists from Nigeria and Ghana, showing an improvement of 6% and 48%, respectively, among Kenya’s potential markets in tourist arrivals in 2023.
With their ambitious aspirations, KTB and Kenya Airways are leading more than 15 travel trade companies for in-market activations scheduled for Feb 5-9, 2024 in various cities of Nigeria and Ghana, as they are expecting to attract over 400 trade partners.
Chirchir expressed optimistically that the Kenyan traders would engage in business meetings and direct interactions with potential travellers from places such as Lagos, Abuja and Accra.
The CEO of KTB noted that the regular flights between African cities, ease in travel restrictions and the Electronic Travel Authorization will make it easier for visitors to access Kenya.
During the meeting, the Chairperson of the West Africa Roadshow – Consaga Khisa, underlined the rationale behind prioritising domestic travel and the importance of partnerships between KTB and the private sector in improving tourism in Kenya.
Khisa said, “The roadshows will provide an opportunity for the Kenyan trade to engage with about 400 West African travel agents and tour operators, showcase products and service offerings and forge new partnerships to drive growth.”
The reports received from Kenya’s Tourism Research Institute showed that arrivals from Africa accounted for 651,152 visitors or 40.7% of total arrivals from January to October 2023.
Notably, in the competitive landscape of African tourism, neighbouring countries such as Rwanda, Benin, the Gambia and Seychelles have eliminated all visa requirements for African travellers to attract visitors.