The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) disclosed Wednesday that tourism arrivals from China to the East African country stood at 52,865 as of the close of 2023. The figures, according to KTB, confirm that China was the most improved tourism source market having grown by a whopping 161 percent from 20,260 in 2022.
The majority of the tourists visiting the country, the agency established, come for leisure holidays as well as business and conferences.
Buoyed by these numbers, KTB says it sees a huge opportunity in the large numbers of Chinese outbound travelers and aims to attract over 150,000 tourists annually from the East Asian nation now ranking the world’s second-largest economic power.
Collaboration with Zhengzhou Radio and Television
As part of this initiative, the Board says it is ready to collaborate with many stakeholders like media, government bodies, and private sector partners like China-based tour operators, online travel agencies, corporates, and airlines to market Kenya as a holiday destination to realize its objectives.
“We are pleased to express our intention to collaborate with Zhengzhou Radio and Television Station (ZRTS). Recognizing the common interests and development needs of both our organizations in the fields of culture and tourism, we are excited about the prospect of establishing a collaborative relationship to promote cultural exchange, tourism product promotion, and media resource sharing,” noted Fiona Ngesa from Kenya Tourism Board when she met officials from Zhengzhou City and Zhengzhou Radio and Television Station in Nairobi.
“Media plays a key role in amplifying destination marketing. We are keen to leverage Kenya and China’s vibrant media landscape to keep the tourism narrative alive telling experiential stories to inspire each other,” she added
Ngesa indicated that KTB seeks to enhance cultural communication and strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two sides. To this end, both parties will jointly organize and participate in cultural exchange activities that include joint publicity and reporting efforts to enhance the influence of our brands.
“In promoting tourism, we will jointly plan and implement activities and media publicity and advertising on radio, television, and online platforms to expand the awareness, visibility, and attractiveness of our tourism products and experiences,” she said when she delivered the letter of intent to partner with Zhengzhou radio and television station on behalf of KTB CEO June Chepkemei.
Director of Zhengzhou Radio and TV station Mr Jiao Jian expressed hope that through interaction in tourism and culture areas, the people from the two countries can be able to enjoy their different styles and cultures as well as be able to integrate even more in the level of people-to-people exchanges.
“I hope cities in Asia and Africa can form long-term platforms of cultural and tourism cooperation especially to encourage people to visit each other, for tourism, sight-seeing, and maybe for business and trade,” noted Jiao
Role of FOCAC in Tourism Promotion
The growth in the number of visitors from China can be credited in large part to initiatives by the Chinese government through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In the 2021 FOCAC Summit, for instance, China committed to increasing tourism cooperation and exchanges between China and Africa, promoting mutual understanding and economic benefits for both regions.
The meeting held in Senegal announced several initiatives related to China-Africa tourism promotion including the Destination Africa Promotion initiative, where China was to promote Africa as a market to Chinese tourists, highlighting the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of the continent.
Besides, China undertook to deepen cooperation with Africa on tourism, expanding two-way tourism exchanges and promoting cultural exchanges between the two regions through the China-Africa Tourism Cooperation.
China further committed to supporting the development of tourism infrastructure in Africa, including the construction of hotels, resorts, and other tourist facilities, through Tourism Infrastructure Development.
At the same time, China made a commitment to encourage its businesses to invest in the tourism sector in Africa, promoting the development of tourism-related industries such as hospitality, travel, and leisure.
Lastly, China undertook to launch a campaign to promote African tourism globally, highlighting the unique cultural and natural attractions of the continent.
During Tuesday’s meeting in Nairobi, Officials from Zhengzhou City and Zhengzhou Radio and TV station were handed Magical Kenya videos which they committed to translate to Chinese language to use the same material in their platforms to promote Kenya’s tourism among Chinese audiences.
