Kenya uses boost from Obama visit to market meetings and holidays

KENYA TOURISM BOARD PART OF KENYA’S TEAM TO BRIEF WTO IN GENEVA

(Posted 29th July 2015)

The Kenya Tourism Board is playing an increasingly active role when it comes to events taking place in Kenya. In fact senior staff of KTB are in Geneva at present as part of a delegation led by Kenya’s foreign secretary, briefing WTO on the level of preparations for the upcoming MC10 meeting in December.

This global meeting, incidentally a resounding endorsement of Kenya’s capital Nairobi as a major MICE destination, is taking place between 15th and 18th of December. Hashtagged as #MC10 will the event bring together the world’s trade ministers and hundreds of delegation members and other visitors in their tow.

The Kenya Tourism Board late yesterday issued the following statement about their involvement:

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Kenya Tourism Board leverages on the MC 10 briefing session

The Kenya Tourism Board is part of the technical team accompanying the Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Dr. Amina Mohammed for the Information Session Briefing at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. The session’s objective is to share Kenya’s preparedness to host of the largest international meetings that Kenya is poised to host in December, 2015, the MC 10. The briefing which entered its two day part today is supported by an exhibition that gives Kenya an opportunity to show case the best of Kenya in tourism, investment and trade opportunities, Culture and history and Kenya’s exports’ potential. The exhibition yesterday was

KTB through its Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa can confirm that the opportunity has availed the board a chance to interact with the delegates representing over 100 countries. The briefing was made to member states represented by over 300 delegates.

We are certain that our joint efforts will translate to converting the delegates to tourists’ pre, during and post conference and/or after the meeting which takes place between the 15th and 18th of December, 2015. One of the delegates who have already confirmed her intentions to sample Kenya’s tourism products is Shin – Yuan Lai, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Permanent Mission of Taiwan to the World Trade Organization.

“I have never been to Kenya and I am particularly excited about experiencing the Maasai Mara. I have not been to a hot air balloon and look forward to these exciting experiences” said Lai in her interaction with the KTB MD

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) has continued to fly the industry flag high even at the backdrop of the external factors that have affected Kenya’s tourism fortunes. Kenya will be hosting other international meetings in the year among them ATA, Magical Keya Travel EXPO and The World PR Conference in Emerging Economies. MC 10, set to host over 5000 delegates will see the delegates occupy about 65 hotels within Nairobi.

Other organizations represented at the exhibition include Kenyatta International Convention Centre who is the event host, Kenya Airways, the MC 10 official carrier, KenInvest, Export Promotion Council and the National Museums of Kenya.

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Riding high at present from a successful visit by President Obama, who was co-host to #GES2015, the Global Enterpreneurship Summit, which just ended last Sunday in Nairobi, is Kenya expected to progressively claw her way back into the top tier of Africa’s most favourite tourism destinations, and MICE events are one key element to accomplishing this. For more information about Destination Kenya click on www.magicalkenya.com