The largest tourism exhibition in the region, the Magical Kenya Travel Expo will be held physically for the first time after two years of absence due to coronavirus pandemic.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) expects the expo to bring together at least 200 exhibitors and 150 buyers among other industry players especially from key source markets in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
KTB Chief Executive Officer Dr Betty Radier said participants from more than 30 countries are expected to attend the exhibition.
“We have not been able to host the Magical Kenya Travel Expo physically in the last two years due to the pandemic. Last year we opted for a virtual show to keep the travel trade abreast with the opportunities we have as a tourist destination and to ensure that we kept the engagements going. With the great improvements in the Covid-19 situation in Kenya and internationally, we are delighted to announce that the Expo will be held physically this October,” said Dr Radier.
The tourism expo is the largest of its kind in east and central Africa region.
The event slated for October will see industry players, policy makers and businesses to engage in networking and discuss new business opportunities especially after the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“We welcome our partners from around the world to come and witness what makes Kenya a special destination. It will be an opportunity for sector players to sell the opportunities available to the buyers and also give first-hand exposure to the product. We encourage all tourism players and partners to take advantage of this opportunity,” added Dr Radier.
KTB hopes the event will help lift tourism fortunes especially as the government continues to deploy recovery strategies after the sharp decline in 2020.
According to the Kenya Tourism Sector Performance Report 2021, tourism industry has been on a recovery path with the sector earnings jumping 65pc to Ksh 146.5 billion last year up from Ksh 88.6 billion in 2020.
The report further noted that the domestic bed nights grew by 101.3pc between 2020 and 2021 while international bed nights grew by 0.05pc.
