Kenya is doubling down on building visitor arrivals from its number one source market – the US – by adopting a nuanced marketing approach built on insights from some of the North American powerhouse’s top tour operators.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is attending the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) Annual Conference at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort in Florida from December 9-13.
The US is Kenya’s top source market by some margin: in 2023, a total of 265 310 Americans visited the East African country, equating to 14% of all tourist arrivals. According to KTB, the market has recorded a 17% growth for the year to date and the tourism board is leveraging demand for transformational travel experiences to further increase arrivals.
“Our goal is to ensure Kenya remains top of mind for American travellers seeking our adventures, beach escapes and cultural connections," said KTB CEO June Chepkemei.
“Going by such first-hand perspectives and pulse of the market, we want to refine our offering such that we can better tap into and draw more of this lucrative segment.”
Harnessing tour operator partnerships
Chepkemei stressed the importance of leveraging insights from some of the top US outbound tour operators.
"The collective expertise of American tour operators and travel advisers represents an invaluable asset that we aim to not only tap into but also enrich through open dialogue and synergistic collaboration.”
In addition to fortifying its mainstream tourism appeal, KTB is seeking to forge strategic partnerships with small group tours and niche operators in categories such as private journeys, classic tours and cruising.
“Small group tours are commonly requested by American travellers looking for their next adventure to Kenya. Going forward, we want to catalyse partnerships so that operators can create comprehensive packages that encourage extended stays and provide discerning travellers with a multi-faceted experience that takes them across our tourism circuits.”
Kenya has placed significant emphasis on diversifying tourism through marketing varied attractions in nine distinct tourism circuits.
The USTOA Annual Conference comes barely two weeks after the Black Travel Summit also held in Florida. The summit gave KTB the opportunity to interact with over 400 entities in the black travel community including travel agents, influencers, business people, travellers and the media.
KTB’s strategic outreach to the US travel trade comes amid the resurgence of the American travel market. US Department of Commerce data showed an overall 9.3% increase in outbound travel in 2023 compared with pre-pandemic numbers.
