KENYA: Kenya Tourism Has Potential To Benefit From West Africa Market

Kenya is projected to record over 30% increase in tourist arrivals from Nigeria and Ghana towards the end of the year as travelers shift their travel plans to the African continent.

According to the UNWTO tourism highlights for 2016, Africa contributed 3% to the global 2015 arrivals translating to 36 million arrivals, presenting Africa’s fertility for intra-Africa tourism

National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NATA) chairman Stephen Isokariari says travel trade has identified Kenya as priority destination visitors prefer besides Europe and other destinations.

“Besides European Nations, Nigeria, Ghana and the larger part of West African countries are increasingly shifting their visit preference within Africa, with travel agencies putting Kenya on the top sale list,” says Isokariari.

Benefits of magical Kenya pre-paid card

He made the remarks in Abuja during the ongoing magical Kenya pre-paid card sensitization campaign unveiled by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and West Africa’s United Bank for Africa (UBA) to promote travel within the continent.

The pre-paid card targeting three West African countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal will allow citizens to accumulate and transfer points in the card for use within the hospitality and travel industry.

“Diversity of tourism product offering, accessibility and various incentives are part of the reasons travel agencies are putting Kenya on top sale list,” said NATA chairman.

The loyalty program on the card and merchant affiliation will be managed by eGiftAfrica and the Go Places company.

KTB Chief Executive Officer Dr. Betty Radier in a statement said the West African nationals who travel for corporate, education, medical as well as leisure purposes within Africa will greatly benefit from the card.

She said the card was a great incentive as it avails exciting value adds to current and potential travelers in terms of bonus points and discounts. “There is an estimated market of over 5 Million card users in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, the reason we are leveraging UBA foot print,” pointed out Radier.

Market performance

Nigeria is Kenya’s top tourist source market in West Africa. It posted 17,962 arrivals last year up from 14,065 in 2015, translating to a growth of 27.7%.

Ghana on the other hand recorded a 37.2% growth of 8,391 visitors up from 6,116 recorded in 2015.

Tour operators in Senegal have however cited referral visa regime as an impediment to the increasing desire by Senegal citizens to travel to Kenya. Last year arrivals from Senegal closed at 1,108.

Senegal Kenya airways country Manager Martin Juma disclosed that the National carrier has received numerous concerns from travel agents and individual Senegalese citizens on referral visa application being a major deterrence for their travel to Kenya.

Local travelers and those from West African countries can now access pre-paid travel card that will allow accumulation and transfer of points within the hospitality sector.

This follows a successful launch of Magical Kenya pre-paid card on 21 March, 2017 by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and United Bank for Africa (UBA)).

The card will also enable all users, whether customers of UBA or not – to have unparalleled access to its built-in benefits available across all platforms.

Promotion of visit to Kenya by travelers across the African continent will be enhanced with the launch of the pre-paid card.

The West African nationals who travel for corporate, education, medical as well as leisure purposes within Africa will greatly benefit from the card, according to KTB.

KTB chairman Mr. Jimi Kariuki said the card will further enhance the Magical Kenya’s footprint in the West African region and the entire continent. He pointed out that there was an untapped market of over 5 Million card users in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.

UBA Chief Executive officer Mr. Isaac Mwige noted that the usage of the card will be through selective criteria of age, deposit balance, number and types of accounts held by customer or corporate accounts.

Kariuki said the Magical Kenya Pre-paid Travel Card was a great incentive as it avails exciting value adds to current and potential travelers in terms of bonus points, discounts or gift.

The loyalty program on the card and merchant affiliation will be managed by eGiftAfrica and Go Places.

Through this partnership, Magical Kenya Prepaid Card Members will be able to access offers, rewards and discounts at these merchants through payments made with their prepaid card.

GHANA: West African Tourism Leaders To Meet In Accra

Private Tourism stakeholders in West Africa would be meeting in Accra on July 15, at the Accra Weizo event to discuss the development of Tourism in West Africa.

The event was put together by Akwaaba African Travel Market with the support of Ghana Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts.

The 2016 edition is on the theme: “Seamless Travels in West Africa,” and would host couple of discussions on West Africa as a Single Destination.

A statement by Mr Ikechi Uko, the organiser of the event, said the session would have as discussants, the President of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, Tour Operators Union of Ghana, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies and heads of the Tourism Associations from Benin and Togo.

The event would be moderated by a leading Ghanaian Journalist and hosted by La Palm Royal Beach Hotel with support from Ethiopian Airlines and Accra city hotel.

It said the event would take an in-depth look into the ways to improve Travel and Tourism growth in West Africa through easy access to towns and cities in West Africa.

The statement said improving and simplifying Airport and Border processes; Standardising Hotel and facilities for tourism through shared vision are some of the topics for discussion.

It said Mr Henock Teferra, the Managing Director, of ASKY Airlines, a pan Africa airline, based in Lome, Togo would be speaking on the topic: “The Challenges of Running a Successful Regional Airline in West Africa.”

There would be case studies like “SAT Experience in West Africa,” by Hloni Pitso, the Regional Manager of South Africa Tourism in West Africa.

Mr Uko, said the event a day's Travel Seminar, Awards and Exhibition with the objective was to improve Travel and Tourism growth in West Africa through easy access to towns and cities in West Africa.

The statement said the West Africa Award (Balafon) would be held with categories include: West Africa Tourism Man of the Year, West Africa Aviation Man of the Year, West African Personality of the Year, and Top 50 Hotels in West Africa.

GHANA: La Palm Royal Hosts West African Tourism Leaders at Accra Weizo

Private Tourism stakeholders in West Africa will be meeting in Accra, Ghana next month at the Accra Weizo tourism event which holds July 15. Accra Weizo is an event put together by the organizers of Akwaaba African Travel Market with the support of Ghana Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

The 2016 edition themed: “Seamless Travels in West Africa” will host a discussion session on West Africa as a single destination.

The session will have discussants from the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA), National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), and heads of the Tourism Associations from Benin and Togo. It will be moderated by a leading Ghanaian Journalist.

Accra Weizo is hosted by La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, supported by Ethiopian Airlines and Accra City Hotel. Mr. Ikechi Uko, the organizer of Weizo, stated the objectives which include improving travel and tourism growth in West Africa through easy access to towns and cities in West Africa.

Over 150 Travel Professionals are expected from all over West-Africa, with tours to Cape Coast for the 14th and 16th.

NIGERIA: Akwaaba Travel Show Sells Nigeria As Tourism Destination

Stakeholders in the African travel and tourism sector gathered in Lagos for three days to brainstorm on ways to promote and improve the travel tourism sector in West African at the annual Akwaaba African Travel Market.

AfricaAkwaaba, according to the organisers of the event is a popular word in the West Africa which translates to welcome in Ghana and Cote D’ Ivoire. Over the last nine years, Akwaaba has become the most important travel marketing platform in the region drawing 7,000 to 10,000 visitors from over 20 countries.

Declaring the exhibition open, the Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, said Akwaaba gives people in the tourism industry room to interact with hoteliers, travel and transport industry operators and to share their individual experiences.

Individual experiences

While commending the efforts of the organiser, Mr. Ikechukwu Uko, the minister described Akwaaba as educative event which broadens people’s knowledge of the field of tourism. “It is equally an avenue for tourism investors to share ideas and proffer ways to develop tourism in Africa,” she said.

Mr. Ikechi Uko, the organizer of the exhibition said that the annual Akwaaba Tourism Fair has become an avenue to market Nigeria as a tourist destination. Uko noted that the country has enormous tourism potential that could be showcased to the international community.

“The fair has opened the door to Nigeria and Africa tourism market and served as a platform for exchange of cultural and tourism potentials among participating countries. “ Uko said.

Speaking on the low turn- out of foreign participants at this year’s fair, Mr. Ikechi Uko attributed it to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that broke out last July. ”Out of over 15 countries that indicated their interests to participate in this year’s Akwaaba, only five countries were able to make it.

“The other countries were discouraged because of the outbreak of EVD in West Africa, “ he said. Uko urged the nation’s tourism practitioners to package and market domestic tourism destinations properly.

“Some practitioners do not have the fundamental knowledge of tourism; therefore, it has become difficult for them to market the destination.

He said the industry can only be developed when the nation’s tourism practitioners get it right, noting that Akwaaba fair would always serve as the best avenue for tourism practitioners to learn and understand the workings of the industry very well.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s tourism credentials as a leisure destination were put on full display at this year’s AKWAABA travel and trade show. During the three day show, the South African Tourism team pulled out all stops to actively promote South Africa’s unique value proposition as a leisure destination to the West African traveller and trade. Nigeria and South Africa have enjoyed a long-standing and fruitful partnership.

The two countries have many times spoken of their resolve to strengthen relations and work together for the long-term betterment of an economically vibrant African continent. Travel and tourism has been identified as a key driver in unbridling this potential.

South African Tourism used its time at AKWAABA to meet with the trade, present to them the destination’s value proposition and, most significantly, cement deals which will see South Africa’s destination offering bolstered in the consumer space.

Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African Tourism said the travel trade are a critical component to the work that they do.

“During AKWAABA we officially announced our partnership with the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) who will help boost tourist arrivals growth from Nigeria to South Africa by developing a range of packages to suit the Nigerian traveller.”

Significant milestone

This partnership, he says, is a significant milestone and one which we believe will go far in reaffirming our commitment to bolstering the economic relations between Nigeria and South Africa. It will also give us access to a wide audience of discerning travellers who contribute significantly to South Africa’s growth.

“Africans should stand together and continue to educate the rest of the world. If we want to continue attracting business and welcoming tourists from all over the world, it is our responsibility as the collective African trade industry to manage these perceptions swiftly.”