Over the years, destinations have not only become competitive but the desires of travelers have changed as they seek more value for money and a greater investment in enriching their memories through experiences.
According to QRi 2018 research, the awareness of Kenya as a tourist destination among international travelers is at 62 per cent and the Kenya Tourism Board is keen to enhance this through a transformational journey supported by an enhanced competitive marketing strategy.
KTB is looking at tapping more into the tourism diversity that Kenya offers through the establishing signature experiences, a process that has incorporated working with all the counties as part of improving the quality of existing tourism circuits and enhancing the quality of tourism products.
Other areas of re-engineering business at KTB include leveraging more on digital marketing and communication and enhanced collaboration with customers through a defined customer relationship marketing structure.
KTB is already reaping from some of the digital marketing efforts through recognition by Expedia group who awarded KTB the ‘Africa Campaign of the Year Award’ for the digital campaign “Can We Kenya Campaign‘.
This was an Influencer social media marketing campaign hosted in a microsite on Expedia Website. The award presentation was done at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB 2019) by the Expedia group.
The Expedia group is one of the largest online travel global agencies that allows travelers to access varied information, make recommendations and conclude bookings for vacation packages. The largest numbers of travelers are now available on line hence most destinations have chosen to interface with the emerging traveler online.
“We are collaborating more with the private sector to revamp the way we represent the destination, some of the programs will include training of tour operators and feedback sessions that are designed to create synergies that elevate the brand quality and value.
Additionally, the establishment of signature products gives the destination an opportunity to share more of those experiences that stand out in projecting Kenya’s uniqueness,” added the KTB Chief Executive Officer, Betty Radier.
The Magic of Kenya lies in the many facets of her tourism offering. KTB CEO while asserting the varied tourism products that the country has says, “Kenya is beautiful, we are home to abundance of wildlife and pristine beaches, our culture is rich and adventure experiences on offers are exceptional, the landscape, sunsets and sceneries in the country are unpararelled and so much more. We invite local and international tourists to discover and immerse in the magic of Kenya’.
With the refreshed Magical Kenya logo, there is an opportunity to enhance the visibility of the tourism brand across key international markets as well as domestically under the Tembea Kenya sub brand.
Magical Kenya has over the years developed awareness amongst all government investment and marketing bodies across a variety of sectors including Agriculture (Tea and Coffee), Investments and Trade.
The refreshed Magical Kenya logo takes into the account the warmth of the Kenyan people, the cultural values of the destination and the splendor of Kenya’s diversity of tourism offering ranging from wildlife, pristine beaches to other experiences including culture and adventure.
“The rebrand is informed by constant research and analysis of travel data which provides travelers’ behavior and needs and KTB will continue to tap into the insights to exceed visitor expectation”, says Radier.
Radier pointed out that experiential packages, as well as sustainable tourism have become new trends in the tourism business. “The traveler taste over the years has changed; they want to enrich their travel diaries through memorable experiences with renewed interest in sustainable tourism and conservation.” said the CEO.
Currently, the United States is Kenya’s leading and best per forming tourism source market with a market share of 12.2 percent of the total international arrivals to the country; other top markets include UK, Uganda India, China Germany and Uganda.
KTB’s revitalized marketing efforts have seen the sector grow. In 2018, Kenya attracted over 2 million visitors into the country.
By ROB JILLO
Source: capitalfm.co.ke