In an effort to boost tourism and strengthen ties with China, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has announced a series of 6-day roadshows set to take place in three major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
These roadshows come shortly after President William Ruto's visit to China, where he sought funding to support his manifesto initiatives.
According to China Daily, China's largest English-language newspaper, the roadshows are scheduled to commence on Wednesday, November 8, and run through to November 13.
KTB's Chief Executive Officer, John Chirchir, highlighted the objective of tapping into the flourishing Chinese tourism market, particularly in light of the recent surge in leisure visitors to Kenya. Chirchir revealed a remarkable 154 percent increase in the number of visitors from China between January and August, solidifying China's position as one of the leading sources of tourists for Kenya.
Chirchir elaborated, "Apart from the roadshow, we have a number of other activities that are lined up. We have joint airline partnership campaigns planned after the roadshows. This entails collaborating with key airlines to execute promotional campaigns."
The decision to organize these roadshows follows President Ruto's recent visit to China, where he secured deals worth over half a billion dollars. During the trip, Ruto disclosed that various Chinese companies had committed to financing ongoing projects in Kenya, with an overall investment commitment of Ksh688.7 billion.
"I am delighted for the 11 companies which have launched the Konza Medical City, their $161.7 million special purpose investment vehicle, which arrives in Kenya on time to take advantage of the Universal Health Coverage, as well as Zhende Medical Co. which is entering a deal to invest $125 million in Tatu City," announced the President.
Earlier in July, Kenyan tour operators had begun actively engaging with Chinese social media platforms as part of KTB's strategic plan for 2021-2025. This strategy aimed to leverage Chinese social media apps since popular Western platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not accessible in China. Key platforms employed by Kenyan businesses include WeChat, Mafengwo, Weibo, and Douyin.
The results of these efforts were evident, with Kenya witnessing an increase in Chinese tourists, welcoming 8,000 visitors in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 6,000 during the same period the previous year. In 2022, Kenya hosted a total of 55,488 tourists from China.
