Kenya eyes increasing Chinese high-yield tourists

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is seeking to attract high-yield tourist arrivals from Chinese big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, officials said on Monday.

"Using findings from an in-depth engagement with Chinese travel agencies, media as well as local travel partners, we have uncovered new insights on China's tourism trends that inform how we package our destination products and experiences to offer travelers more specialized and personalized experiences," Betty Addero Radier, chief executive officer of KTB said in statement.

Last week in China, KTB organized the Kenya Trade Forum road show themed "Adventure Tour" that was attended by over 110 traders from key online travel agents including Ctrip.com, LY.com, and Tuniu and key traditional travel agencies and tailor-made travel agencies.

She noted that it is critical for Kenya to differentiate itself in order to attract high-value Chinese tourists throughout the year.

Kenyan government data indicated that in 2018 Kenya received 81,709 arrivals from China, representing a 4.03 percent growth from the previous year.

Radier revealed that the number of inbound Chinese tourists is projected to increase from initiatives such as the direct link between the city of Changsha and Nairobi by one of China's biggest airlines, the China Southern Airlines, who announced the deployment of its 330-200 Airbus twice per week to and from Changsha, with non-stop flights between Nairobi and Guangzhou on Monday and Friday.

According to the tourism agency, Chinese tourists spent an average of 3,064 dollars per person on location destination on their most recent overseas travels, excluding tour group costs and the major transportation costs to and from the destination.