Kenya once again defended its title as a leading tourist destination at the 2019 World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony in Mauritius, after scooping top awards in different categories.
The big win came after World Travel Awards unveiled Kenya as the host of next year’s Africa and Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony. This was a boost for the Kenya destination which was asserted by Kenya Tourism Board emerging the winner of Africa's Leading Tourist Board for the 7th time.
Kenya also cemented her boldness as a destination when she stood out in 3 Africa destination awards that illuminated her as the leading beach destination, leading Business Travel destination, leading Meeting and Conference destination as well as the Leading Airline.
“We are honored to have once again been recognized at the World Travel Awards prestigious awards both as a prime destination and marketing agency years running. Tourism data shows there were two million visitors arriving in Kenya in 2018 compared with 1.5 million international check-ins the previous year. I congratulate the KTB team for working tirelessly to continue to make our beautiful country stand out in the highly competitive tourism market,” said KTB CEO, Dr Betty Radier.”
“We are extremely excited and delighted to be able to host WTA in Kenya; the Home of Safari, Tropical Beaches, Rich Culture and Heritage. A fantastic destination that offers exciting authentic experiences.” She added.
These awards come shortly after KTB announced their refresh of the Magical Kenya brand with the objective of strongly and continuously promoting and positioning Kenya as an all year round diverse experience tourist destination to retain and attract emerging tourist markets.
As the tourist market needs continue to change to tourists looking for more specialized and personalized experiences, this win comes at a fortuitous time when we want the world to see Kenya as an all year round destination that delivers a wide variety of exhilarating and tranquil experiences an essence clearly illustrated in our new brand refresh logo.”
Dr. Radier noted that these awards and the increased number of inbound tourists are proof that Kenya’s travel and hospitality industry is definitely on the right track. This can also be attested by the twenty-seven global hotel brands have announced plans to open new or additional hospitality facilities in Kenya over the next four years, cementing the country's position as East Africa's business hub.
