KUWAIT: Kenya's tourism industry is fine-tuning tailor-made packages for the Kuwaiti market and creating more product awareness about the distinct tourism attractions Kenya can offer to the Arab world, said a top tourism official from Kenya here yesterday. Talking to Kuwait Times in an interview, Dr Ibrahim M Mohamed, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Tourism, Ministry of East African Affairs, Kenya, said there is a renewed interest among Arabs, especially Kuwaitis, to visit various African tourism destinations including Kenya. "However, the numbers we are receiving today from Kuwait and the region are not as high as they should be. This is mainly because there is no proper awareness about Kenya's distinct tourism products. Today, people are going to other destinations which have the same facilities and attractions we have in Kenya," he said. Ibrahim and Muriithi Ndegwa, OGW, Managing Director, Kenya Tourism Board, arrived in Kuwait accompanying a Kenyan delegation headed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to attend the third Arab- African summit currently being held in Kuwait. The tourism industry is one of the major contributors to Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP), which is currently estimated to be around 12 percent. "The GDP rate has been steadily increasing and it has a spillover effect on other segments of the economy as well," Ibrahim said. Dr Ibrahim admitted that the country had not been able to cash in on Kenya's rich tourism potential in this part of world. "We want to change the scenario. We have now appointed marketing development representatives in the region to market Kenya's diverse tourism products in the region. In terms of Kenya tourism, the region has immense potential and we hope to see an increase in tourist arrivals from Kuwait," he said.
Product knowledge
Muriithi, elaborating on the need to generate more awareness about Kenya's unique tourism attractions in Kuwait, said, "A lack of product knowledge about Africa, especially Kenya as a destination, is really holding up the numbers." According to Muriithi, most travelers from Kuwait who want to visit Africa prefer to go to Egypt or South Africa. "As Kuwaitis become more and more aware of the various travel opportunities available and as their appetite to explore new destinations grows, we see a positive situation where more Kuwaitis begin to explore Kenya as their new destination. We are here to do a ground analysis of the market and to develop a package that is tailor made for the Kuwaiti market. We expect a real leap in the number of visitors from the region in the coming years. We also look at ways of setting the ground for creating more awareness about our products and destinations, so that people can increasingly visit our destinations," he mentioned. "In fact, the word safari is synonymous with Kenya because its origin is actually in Kenya. It is our goal to position Kenya as the ultimate safari destination not just to Kuwait but to a wider GCC or Middle East market," Muriithi said. Kenya is one of the most geographically diverse countries on earth with vast expanses of savannah, highland ranges, equatorial rainforest, extinct volcanoes, a series of freshwater and whitewater lakes, alpine glaciers and deserts and tropical beaches. The country has a number of game resorts and 59 national parks spread throughout the country offering diverse and unique experiences. The great diversity of habitat is equaled by a remarkable variety of species of flora and fauna. These include grazing herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, large mammals such as elephants, buffalo and rhinoceros and a range of predators including lion, leopard and cheetah
Cultural linkage
"Secondly, we want to position Kenya as a destination for archaeological and cultural tourism because Kenya has been recognized by science as the 'cradle of humankind'. There are many sites that have been listed as world heritage sites," said Muriithi. Kenya's fascinating cultural history stretches back over 4.5 million years with some of the earliest known evidence of early man uncovered on the shores of Lake Turkana. "The Middle East is also very rich in terms of culture and history. We share several cultural similarities. Both regions inherit a common heritage and culture from our forefathers. By inviting travelers from the Arab world to Kenya, we want to recreate the connectivity between the two regions and reestablish historical and cultural linkages with the Middle East," elaborated Ibrahim. "There are a lot of things people from the region can relate to. Similarly, halal food is available everywhere and mosques are located in all parts of the country from the coast and centre to the west," he informed. Muiithi said Kenya is a short-haul destination from Kuwait which is wellconnected with airlines. In addition to the country's national carrier Kenya Airways, several Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air Arabia and Etihad fly to Nairobi offering frequent connectivity to Middle Eastern travelers. "We may not have a direct flight from Kuwait to Nairobi. But all major airlines from the region fly to Nairobi which is a major hub in Africa. It is only a five- hour flight from either Doha or Dubai," he added. Tours Manager at Al-Jarallah Travels & Tours Abdulla Ismail said, "We work closely with Kenyan tourism officials to promote Kenya in Kuwait. Kenya has a lot to offer as a unique tourism destination. Unfortunately, it has not been properly explored yet. We hope that more visitors will travel to Kenya in the future from Kuwait," he said
© Kuwait Times 2013
