Tourism Board to spend Sh20 million marketing Kenya in key Indian cities

State agency, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), will spend Sh20 million in a marketing communication targeting major cities in India as it seeks to grow the number of tourists from the Asian state.

Tourist arrivals from India hit 37,597 in the period between January and July 2016, a 35 per cent growth over the 17,944 recorded in the same period last year.

Under a campaign dubbed Kenya Kalling, KTB will run print, radio and online ads in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore cities. The drive is intended to raise India visitor arrivals by 21 per cent in six months.

The campaign comes after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kenya in July with an aim of creating a stronger presence in the country where the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on defence co-operation and agreed to deepen existing ties.

It will also involve issuing of affordable travel packages from travel agents and incentives from the national courier, Kenya Airways (KQ).

Cordial relationship

Kenya’s High Commissioner to India Florence Weche said during the launching of the campaign in New Delhi on Wednesday that the promotions will ride on the long-standing cordial relationship between the two countries.

“The visit by Indian Prime Minister Modi Narendra to Kenya in July this year, besides boosting cordial ties between the two countries has largely helped in enhancing awareness of Kenya among Indians .This is also an endorsement and a show of confidence in the destination,” she said.

India is currently the third best performing market after United States of America and the United Kingdom while the Asian state has become a strong tourist source.

READ: Government projects tourists will hit 1.6m

“India is an important market for Kenya and we have proposed to invest more on other initiatives that would boost brand awareness through sports such as cricket, MICE, golf as well as association with celebrities and other consumer brands,” said KTB acting Chief Executive Officer Jacinta Nzioka.

She added that Kenya had lined up activities targeting consumers as well as trade in the market whose accessibility to Kenya has been enhanced by seamless connectivity by KQ and other airlines.

Kenya recently hosted film makers from India for a promotional tour of diverse tourism products that Kenya has to offer presenting an opportunity for film makers to showcase the destination.