Tourists admire kangas displayed along Diani Beach road in Ukunda, Kwale
County. The 2015 Magical Kenya Travel Expo which is to be held in the
resort town Diani in October is expected to boost hotel business in
Kenya's Coast. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Hotels in Kenya’s Coast are gearing up for a business boom as
the Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) is held in the resort town Diani in
October.
The MKTE, which is Kenya’s largest annual
travel show, is going to take place for the first time in the region
from October 14 to 17.
Since its inception five years ago, the Kenya Tourism Board has every year been holding the travel expo in Nairobi.
This year, the marketing agency decided to hold the fair in Diani in a bid to revive the ailing tourism sector in the region.
Hotels
in the Coast have been experiencing low business due to the negative
effects of terror attacks which prompted the US, UK, France and
Australia to issue travel advisories warning their citizens against
visiting the region.
KTB managing director Muriithi
Ndegwa said 35 countries from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas are
expected to participate in the MKTE fair to be held at Leisure Lodge.
The
KTB boss said so far 170 travel and tourism players including tour
operators, travel agents, and hoteliers from across the world have
confirmed their participation in the Diani event.
EXHIBITORS
Some
of the new exhibitors in this year’s expo, he added, include German
holiday airline Lufthansa and Chinese airline, China Southern Airlines.
Among
the tourism boards from Africa expected to participate in the fair
include those from South Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Burundi.
Local
tour operators, travel agents and hoteliers are also expected to
participate in the expo as well as 10 county governments including
Nairobi, Turkana, Lamu, Bungoma, Taita-Taveta and Meru.
Speaking
in Diani on Monday during the unveiling of Leisure Lodge as the venue
for the MKTE fair, the KTB boss said the travel show would boost tourism
in the region.
He explained that the event will help
revive tourism at the Coast as leading tour operators and travel agents
would sample local attractions including the popular Diani beach which
in June was voted Africa’s best beach destination by the World Travel
Awards.
COAST IS SAFE
“We
chose Diani as the venue for hosting this year’s Magical Kenya Expo to
show to the world that the Coast region is safe for holidays,” he said.
“Our
aim is also to bring tour operators and travel agents to the region so
that after the fair, they can help sell the destination in their
countries and woo more tourists,” he explained.
Kenya
Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast executive officer
Sam Ikwaye said hotels in Diani are expecting brisk business during the
expo.
He added that hotel occupancy in the South Coast
is expected to rise to 100 per cent during the event up from between 20
and 30 per cent currently.
REVIVE TOURISM
The
KAHC official said the expo will help revive tourism in the region as
international tour operators and travel agents will witness for
themselves that the resorts are safe.
“In the short
term, hotels in Diani will busy during the fair as local and
international travel and tourism players will stay in the beach
resorts,” he said.
“The presence of the global tourism
players will put Kenya on the world map and help woo back more
international holidaymakers to the Coast,” he added.
Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya thanked KTB for choosing Diani as the venue for hosting the 2015 MKTE fair.
The governor said his county government had set aside Sh5 million in support of preparing for the travel event.
“Kwale
County is fully prepared to host the Magical Kenya Expo as part of
campaigns to revamp the sector to boost job creation, foreign exchange
and our economy,” he said.
“I assure both local and
international visitors who will be attending the fair that our
government and the county will intensify security for the safety of all
people during and after the event,” he added.
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