Kenya to Launch Tourism Promotion Outfit in Germany, by Mickie Ojijo

by Mickie Ojijo

After ten years of futile effort to persuade Kenya Government to review its decision leading to closure of the Tourism Marketing offices in Germany, Kenya Development Associates-Germany will launch a private bureau to market Kenya in August.

It is the public domain Kenya’s tourism trade has been plagued with an assortment of problems and has been operating below expectations since the late 1970s.

Every successive government since independence has raised the bar, making the country the hub of hunting/tourist expeditions in the entire east and western parts of Africa.

The journey to success however, is fraught with government ineptitude, greed and lack of patriotism. Many believed the devolved system of governance in the new Constitution would transfer tourism marketing docket to the relevant county governments, to the contrary, the central government, has unfortunately, remained adamant – not wishing to cede its hegemony.

Numerous excuses have been advanced as to why tourism trade is stagnating. This has not cut it because there are several examples of countries operating under the same adverse circumstances of political squabbles and insecurity but flourishing in their tourism trade. It was for this reason in 2003, Kenya Development Associates (KDA) plunged itself in selling Kenya as the only answer.

As a patriotic Kenyans, through our experts, we know the answer lies in effective consultations with the German tours and travel agencies and not the armchair state marketing agency, which more often than not, continues to replicate anachronistic sales strategies that has seen the country’s tourism sector, plummet to worrying levels..

The killing of the German tourist woman in Mombasa street recently, shortly after that of a Russian lady, did not auger well with the German public. Nothing could be more devastating – even more so than the travel advisories.

It is such savage incidents KDA intend to address through close contacts through social interactions with the enraged German public, the Tourism Gala Night scheduled for August 9 in Frankfurt is necessary and remedial.

To lace the occasion would be two artistes from the Coast, most affected region. Ali Khamis , a renowned singer known for his genres fused with Giriama beats. Accompanying Ali B is Esther Akoth, an excellent singer of contemporary music. Her fanatic fans nicknamed her Akothee, the Toxic dancer. She has carved herself an niche in Kenya’s music scene, more so for her stage performance.

An upcoming German based artiste M-Jadee Maggie will bolster the event with her new melodies composed for the occasion and thereafter the trio shall proceed on to Zurich for another tourism promotion engagement. Switzerland is one of Kenya’s traditional tourist markets we continue to nurture.

It is worth noting that in the past eleven years of our tourism promotion programme has enabled a large number of Kenyan artistes to built fan base in Europe with the cooperation of Condor and Turkish Airlines.

 

 

Share