The number of Ghanaians and Nigerians visiting Kenya for tourism purposes increased by 48% and six (6) percent respectively in 2023 data from the Kenya Tourism Board has shown. The two West African countries now rank among Kenya’s potential markets on the African continent.
In furtherance to this, Kenya has turned its attention to West Africa as part of its strategy to increase tourist arrivals from West Africa, diversify its source markets, and promote intra-Africa tourism.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and Kenya Airways are leading over 15 travel trade companies to showcase the various offerings of the East African destination and form meaningful mutually beneficial partnerships with their Ghanaian and Nigerian partners.
The roadshow, dubbed the Magical Kenya West Africa Roadshow, sees the team engage key players in Accra, Lagos, and Abuja, two key markets for Kenya, from February 5th to 9th, 2024.
“So, the whole idea is for us to share experiences and build connections. When I see the teams here, it’s not just about business; it’s about friendship, skills development, networking, and more. The roadshow being presented here offers us a tremendous opportunity to share insights, collaborate, and promote tourism between our two countries,” he said.
“Today marks one of my happiest moments because the work we’ve been doing is bearing fruit. The challenge is to sustain this conversation as we return to our respective places. What can keep us connected? Once we leave here, we’ll return to our usual business, and much of this may be lost. We need to determine what will maintain our connection beyond this event,” Eliphas Barine, the Kenyan High Commissioner to Ghana said, during the first event of the roadshow held at Alisa Hotel in Accra on Monday, February 5, 2024.
The Marketing Manager of KTB, Fiona Ngesa, said Ghana is key to Kenya’s efforts to attract more Africans to visit. “The Kenya Tourism aims to market Kenya as a sustainable, all year round diverse and authentic tourism destination leveraging on its diverse products and professional private sector members to offer value-added activities and experimental holidays to increase tourism yield and profits sustainably,” she said.
