Kenya is banking on the increasing demand for groups and high-end travelers from India to increase her tourism pie from the Asian market that is currently ranked at 6th position as Kenya’s source market.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) together with 12 travel trade companies is currently undertaking roadshows in major cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Kolkata to woo the Indian market.
KTB CEO June Chepkemei in a statement disclosed that the market has recorded a tremendous increase in arrivals after the covid-19 pandemic to post a 12.4 percent growth last year with 106,863 arrivals up from 95,038 visitors recorded in 2023.
She said though wildlife safari is known to the Indian market and especially the Masai Mara, Kenya has packaged other diverse offerings putting the country on a competitive edge from other destinations.
“We are positioning Kenya as a diverse tourism destination to attract different types of clientele including honey mooners, adventurer enthusiasts, filming and business conference among others from this Asian market,” said the CEO.
She underscored that air connectivity to Kenya and Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) facility are some of the attributes that have enhanced the level of interest amongst the Indians to travel to Kenya.
“We are happy that the government continues to focus on improvement of infrastructure around tourism such new hotels, roads, airstrips which are some of the enablers that have enhanced visitor experiences in the destination,” said the CEO.
The CEO expressed her optimism that the marketing initiatives that have been lined up in the emerging markets are going to increase visitor numbers into the destination.
Kenya is experiencing a robust recovery and is projected to continue on a positive trajectory in the year 2025.
Last year, Kenya closed the with 2,253,428 arrivals, indicating a growth of about 16% compared to the same period last year that posted 1,948,785 arrivals
Safari Trail CEO Rajay Thethy disclosed that Meeting Incentives Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) was a major areas that Kenya as a destination would leverage to shore up its numbers.
“Combination of business and leisure is key for the Indian market with groups spending up to 5 days in Kenya. ETA facility has also greatly assisted in quickly turning around groups booking Kenya for MICE,” added Rajay.
The Ahamedabad roadshow kicked off yesterday with high prospects for Kenya to receive more visitation from India with Indigo Air that flies Kenya daily from Mumbai expressing better tidings for the tourism business.
According to Tarun Arora, Indigo Trade Sales Manager, the airline has been flying with about 95% of full in the past few months, a trend he pointed out could mean additional flights or increased capacity in the near future.
“As we approach summer season in March, we expect more passengers. Our customers are mostly for business and leisure as well as visits to relatives and friends, “disclosed Arora.
Indigo that launched direct flight over year to Nairobi commands 63% of market share in India. Air India that has code shares with Kenya Airways on the other hand operates three times a day from New Delhi is also expected to increase its frequency in summer to meet the expected increase in number of travellers to the country. Kenya Airways operates a two daily direct flight from Mumbai to JKIA contributing significantly to the movement of visitors of Indian travellers to Kenya.
