KENYA: International Campaign Supporting Tourism Drive

The President of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, today officially launched Make it Kenya, a new international brand campaign that has been introduced to promote the scale and variety of tourist and investment opportunities the country has to offer.

Tourism is a vital pillar of Kenya's economy, environment, identity and well-being; the industry is responsible for 1 in 10 jobs and over 12% of GDP. Kenya is renowned for its amazing beaches and world-class safari offering that provides visitors with 'once in a lifetime' experiences. The country is also focusing on the promotion of business (MICE), sports, adventure and cultural tourism, helping to take the diversity of the country's offering to new audiences.

The timing for the launch of the Make It Kenya campaign builds on the success and positive feedback that Kenya has experienced following President Obama's visit, to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and the recent endorsement for Kenya by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai who led the UNWTO conference in Mombasa last month.

The brand launch included the unveiling of MakeItKenya.com, a new digital portal that has been specifically designed as a source of rich sharable content, which will help connect Kenya to the world, through people's computers, smart phones and digital devices.
President Kenyatta, who is in Milan to lead the celebrations for Expo Milano's dedicated Kenya week, launched the new campaign at a VIP event at Kenya House, an extension of Kenya's Expo pavilion that is located in the centre of Milan and is being used to showcase Kenya's cultural, tourism and economic assets.

During the VIP launch, President Kenyatta called on people around the world to consider the country's rich tourism offer: "Kenya has a wonderful story to tell, as the original home of the safari, home to the big five, snow-capped mountains, vast deserts and miles of beautiful Indian Ocean beaches.

"Through Make It Kenya we aim to communicate this, as the campaign will allow us to engage people around the world. Through this bold and innovative approach to drive Kenya's story, we will show people the scale and quality of Kenya's tourism offer from adventure, health and therapeutic tourism to our massive investment in tourist infrastructure.

"Kenya's global profile has never been stronger – we have successfully hosted President Obama, our athletes have taken on and beaten the world and people from around the world are joining us in celebration of Kenya week at the World Expo - the Make It Kenya campaign is being introduced to help secure our country's economic prosperity for today and for future generations. In this globalized world, we must have a nation brand that can compete internationally and also resonate with our citizens and I believe Make It Kenya achieves this," His Excellency concluded.

The Cabinet Secretary of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Mrs. Phyllis Kandie, said: "The Make It Kenya campaign and digital portal will allow us to tell Kenya's story with one voice. It is not intended to replace our Magical Kenya tourism campaign driven by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) but rather enhance it and make it stronger.
"Our aim is to use Make It Kenya to raise our country's profile to a new level by directly engaging new audiences, allowing us to compete globally and to a level that is reflective of the strong and attractive brand that our country is," she concluded.

Muriithi Ndegwa, Managing Director of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said: "Make It Kenya is a new and fresh platform, which will support the work that we do with Magical Kenya to promote Kenya's tourism opportunities to the world. Kenya is a modern and vibrant country that is open and ready for them to visit, and we call on the friends of Kenya and people around the world to join us by visiting MakeItKenya.com to explore the diverse tourism offer of Kenya"