Kenya to woo more American visitors as US now top tourists source market

Kenya has stepped up plans to woo more American visitors weeks after the United States overtook the United Kingdom as the top source market for holidaymakers.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala says the elusive Kenya –US direct flights remain a stumbling in the country’s bid to grow visitor numbers from the US, but the government remains undeterred.

“The American market is not an easy market because we do not have direct flights from Kenya to America, so that is the biggest challenge, but we have a very good product for the American market called the safari product and over 90 per cent of American tourists visit Kenya because of Safaris in conjunction with Kenya’s culture,” says Balala.

As part of the promotional campaign for Kenya to America, the CS says Kenya plans to showcase various attraction sites next week when Nairobi hosts the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) forum from February 23 to 28.
ASTA, which claims to be “the world’s largest and most powerful association of travel professionals”, will bring its annual global Destination Expo to Nairobi.

Founded in 1931 as the American Steamship and Tourist Agents’ Association, together with its affiliates, it is considered the world’s largest and most influential travel trade association with members in 140 countries.

The organisation’s members include travel agencies, travel sellers and companies whose products they sell: cruise lines, tour companies, hotels, car rental companies, destinations and technology companies.

“We want to use the expo to launch Kenya in that [US] market by networking with the travel agents who sell other destinations in America. If we put Kenya in their first page of their agenda, that will help boost Kenya,” says Mr Balala.