KENYA’S SAFARI RALLY RETURNS TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS
(Posted 28th September 2019)
There was good news coming in for Kenya on World Tourism Day, when the FIA published their decision to include one of the world’s toughest rallies, the Safari Rally, once again in the World Championship calendar effective next year.
The World Motorsport Council had earlier taken a vote which saw Kenya overwhelmingly endorsed to return to the world championship stage.
This ends an 18 year period out in the cold, when only former rally aces returned to Kenya every two years to take part in the Classic Safari Rally event. Kenya lost the coveted WRC status over a series of disputes with the government of the day paying little attention to the threat to be booted off the world stage until it was too late.
The Safari Rally, like other WRC events, brings in high spending tourists wanting to follow the series and cheer on their favourite drivers, besides the money the teams leave in the country.
In tourism terms this was arguably the best news for a World Tourism Day for Kenya in a while, as the country also prepares to host the 9th edition of their Magical Kenya Travel Expo which starts in Nairobi in 4 days.
