Indian travel agents are urging Kenya to introduce incentives for filmmakers and group travellers to boost visitor numbers. At a travel trade show in India, organised by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and attended by 12 Kenyan travel firms, industry experts highlighted Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) and filmmaking as key growth opportunities for attracting Indian tourists.
Chetan Samani, Director of Cosmic Safaris, emphasised the potential of India’s film industry in increasing Kenya’s visibility. “Filming is a big thing in India and inquiries on MICE are also what we need to leverage to woo this market,” he said. Notably, nearly 80 international films have been shot in Kenya, with Bollywood productions often leading to a 45 per cent rise in tourist arrivals.
Kenya is actively promoting itself in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata ahead of the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) in Mumbai from 30 January to 1 February 2025. The country is also banking on growing demand from Indian groups and luxury travellers, with India currently ranking as Kenya’s sixth-largest source market.
According to KTB CEO June Chepkemei, the market has recorded a tremendous increase in arrivals after the pandemic to post a 12.4 per cent growth last year with 106,863 arrivals up from 95,038 visitors recorded in 2023.
Source: BW Hotelier
