Africa’s Republic of Kenya needs little introduction (as the above photo should illustrate) – from traditional Maasai semi-nomads to the inhabitants of the modern-skylined Nairobi, it’s 41 million people in half a million square kilometres of some of the most instantly recognisable scenery in Africa. Now the government wants to cash in on this geographic fame. Tourism is currently the no. 2 source of income (behind tea), but the country still needs more holidaymakers, both foreign and domestic…
Cue a major new tourist campaign, spearheaded by @Magicalkenya and the hashtag #Tembeakenya on Twitter. An opportunity for bloggers? Absolutely, as this write-up of a Kenya Tourist Board sponsored safari should suggest. Kenya wants to boost foreign visitors to 3 million by 2015, while tripling the amount of domestic holiday-makers to 1.5 million…
So, travel bloggers – have any bright ideas about how they could do that?
Image: lukasz dzierzanowski
Well, as someone currently studying tourism development/marketing/management, there’s plenty of evidence that, when it comes to secondary sources, people planning travel are much more likely to trust and believe word-of-mouth than anything they might see on TV or in a guidebook. The opinions of real people will always trump advertisements for most potential tourists.
So, clearly, getting more influential travelers to visit Kenya and then spread the word about it (*cough*blogtrip??*cough*) could be a great option.