global on-line media campaign on tourism recovery

 Kenya's tourism marketers have launched a global on-line media campaign on tourism recovery as part of the strategies to reassure tourists of the country's safety.

The campaign under the hashtag headline #Why I Love Kenya will see Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) rally tourists, celebrities, corporate bodies, and friends of tourism sector to tell the world about the uniqueness of the country despite the earlier travel advisories issued by a few western countries.

"I appeal to Kenyans to rally together and use the hashtag why I love Kenya to spread the word that Kenya is the country to visit and get the country tourism flourishing," KTB Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa said on Thursday.

The campaign will cover the continent of Africa and all the main markets in Europe.

The move comes against the backdrop of travel advisories issued by some of the foreign missions from the top tourist source markets, a situation that has damaged the destinations image.

The campaign also comes as Cabinet Secretary for East African Community and Tourism Phyllis Kandie left the country on Thursday, leading a delegation to Nigeria to woo tourists from the West African nation.

"We are also planning to partner with Kenya Airways in this framework and see how we will facilitate easy movement," Kandie said.

Kandie maintained that the move to encourage intra-Africa tourism does not mean Nairobi will neglect traditional markets, especially the European countries and the United States.

"All we want is to diversify and we will try and promote business tourists and also tourists for leisure. We have never really targeted our African brothers and sisters as potential tourists and this is the time," she told journalists in Nairobi.

As the world's leading safari destination, Kenya will encourage audience to send good-will messages accompanied with images of tourism sites through the social media platform.

Ndegwa said it was reassuring to note that despite the travel advisories, tourists had demonstrated their love for and confidence in Kenya and would continue with their holidays in the country.