The ease of movement between Kenya and Uganda both by road and air has made it easy and inexpensive for travelers to explore Kenya, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) boss has said.
Speaking ahead of the expo, KTB Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Betty Radier has said Nairobi and the Kenyan Coast remain popular destinations for travelers from Uganda.
Dr. Radier added, “Kenya Airways operates regular flights between Entebbe and Nairobi. KTB anticipates that the recent entry of Jambojet, a low-cost carrier, into Entebbe will make travel much more affordable to wider Ugandan population. Once in Nairobi, they can connect easily to popular destinations such as Mombasa and Diani by either by air, road or through the Madaraka Express Service on Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway(SGR).”
KTB has stepped up its engagement with the Ugandan travel market under a strategy that seeks to make Kenya a top of mind business and leisure destination in the East African region.
“Among the Kenyan experiences that are most sort after by Ugandan travellers include shopping, Kenya’s pristine beaches, and medical tourism with Uganda being the largest segment for Kenya’s medical services. Kenya’s Coast is highly favored for relaxation while Nairobi remains popular for business, shopping, and social scenes.” Dr Radier said.
KTB’s engagement with the Ugandan travel market is a continuation of an integrated consumer campaign dubbed #TugendeKenya.
Uganda is one of the core markets in KTB’s regional marketing strategy. The Kenyan tourism marketing arm, KTB, is slated to participate in the Pearl of Africa Travel Expo (POATE) which has been organized by the Uganda Tourism Board. The expo will take place from 23rd to 25th February 2018 in Kampala.
Besides the expo, KTB has partnered with Africa’s largest online travel booking firm, Wakanow and Diani Beach and Resorts to host a tournament and Club night at the Uganda Golf Club to market the Kenyan coast and specifically, Diani Beach as a destination.
Uganda is currently ranked as Kenya’s number one source market in Africa and the third biggest source market internationally. In 2017, the number of arrivals from Uganda increased by 20.6 percent to 61,542.
Read: Uganda is Kenya’s leading tourist source market
Meanwhile, a cruise ship with 620 passengers and 420 crew on board, MS Insignia has docked at the Port of Mombasa, denoting the second cruise ship arrival at the port in less than 2 months.
The ship arrived at 6.00 a.m. and is scheduled to leave same day at 6.00 p.m.
The arrival of MS Insignia marks yet another milestone in Kenya’s profile as a cruise ship tourism destination. Indeed, this is in accordance with the country’s stated aspiration of being a preferred long-haul destination in Africa for high spending tourists.
Read:Kenya targets 2.5 million tourists yearly by 2022
