The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) is stepping up efforts to strengthen the capacity and business opportunities of travel agents at the Coast through a series of engagements focused on technology, airline partnerships and industry collaboration.
The engagements brought together KATA and key industry partners including Triply, Safarilink and Amadeus, with discussions centred on training travel agents on technology platforms, strengthening commercial relationships and creating opportunities for business development.
A key component of the engagement was training Coast-based travel agents on the Triply platform, aimed at helping them better understand and utilise digital tools to support their day-to-day operations and improve the services they provide to travellers.
The training forms part of the broader industry shift towards technology-enabled travel distribution, as agencies increasingly rely on digital platforms to access travel products, manage bookings and improve efficiency.
Building capacity at the Coast
For KATA, the engagements are also part of a wider capacity-building agenda aimed at ensuring that travel agents outside Nairobi have access to the same industry knowledge, tools and commercial opportunities.
The Coast remains one of Kenya’s key tourism and travel markets, supported by its strong leisure, inbound and outbound travel activity. Strengthening the capabilities of agencies operating in the region is therefore important to the growth and competitiveness of the wider travel trade.
Through direct engagement with agents, KATA seeks to understand the challenges facing businesses on the Coast while connecting members with suppliers and technology providers to support their growth.
Strengthening airline-agent relationships
The engagement with Safarilink provided an opportunity to further strengthen relationships between the airline and travel-agent community.
Discussions focused on areas of mutual interest, including business development and strengthening collaboration between airlines and agents.
Closer engagement between travel agents and airlines enables agents to better understand available products and services while giving suppliers an opportunity to receive direct market feedback from the agencies selling their products to travellers.
For Coast-based agents in particular, access to reliable domestic and regional air connectivity remains an important component of their ability to serve both leisure and corporate travellers.
Technology as a business enabler
The Amadeus engagement and workshop further reinforced the importance of technology and digital solutions in the travel agency business.
As the industry continues to evolve, travel agents are increasingly expected to work with technology that enables them to access inventory, manage bookings efficiently and provide faster and more informed service to customers.
Training and practical exposure to these platforms can therefore play an important role in helping agencies improve productivity and remain competitive in an increasingly digital travel environment.
Partnerships beyond the traditional model
The engagements reflect KATA’s broader approach to industry partnerships — moving beyond traditional stakeholder relationships towards practical collaboration that delivers value to travel agents.
For suppliers and technology companies, engagement with agents provides an opportunity to demonstrate products directly to the businesses that interact with travellers every day.
For travel agents, such engagements provide access to information, training, commercial conversations and opportunities to build stronger relationships with industry partners.
KATA’s continued engagement with Triply, Safarilink and Amadeus therefore comes at a time when the travel industry is undergoing rapid changes in technology, distribution and consumer behaviour.
The Association is expected to continue facilitating similar engagements as part of its efforts to strengthen professional capacity, promote business development and ensure its members remain connected to evolving opportunities across the travel ecosystem.
