Kenya’s tourism industry has received a shot in the arm after the country bagged 13 awards in different categories at the World Travel Awards, Africa and Indian Ocean 2021.
The Kenya Tourism Board was voted ‘Africa’s Leading Tourist Board’, this being the eighth time in 10 years that a destination marketer has received the accolade.
KTB trounced other African heavyweights including the Botswana Tourism Organisation, Egyptian Tourism Authority, Rwanda Development Board, South Africa Tourism among others.
In other categories, Kenya enjoyed a strong showing, with the capital Nairobi being named as ‘Africa’s Leading Business Travel Destination’ with Kenyatta International Convention Centre collecting ‘Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre’.
In the hospitality sector, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club took Africa's Leading Hotel while Hemingways Watamu was named Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort.
The Norfolk was named as Africa’s Leading City Hotel 2021 with Olare Mara winning the award for Africa’s Leading Luxury Tented Safari Camp.
The award for Africa's Leading Sports Resort was won by Ocean Sports Resort located in Watamu.
Kenya’s flag carrier Kenya Airways was named as Africa’s Leading Airline 2021 and Africa’s Leading Airline in the Business Class category. At the same time, the Port of Mombasa was named Africa’s Leading Cruise Port.
KTB CEO Betty Radier lauded the wins noting that it is a testament to Kenya’s position as a top global tourist destination.
“Without a doubt, this is a well-deserved win, and we can only get better. We shall continue with our commitment towards ensuring that we maintain this for many years to come,” She said.
She further lauded KTB’s win as Africa’s Leading Tourist Board, noting it is proof of the Board’s commitment towards marketing the destination.
“It is yet another great achievement for us as the destination’s marketer since it shows that our efforts have been effective. These awards will be important because they will help us in profiling the destination going forward and are also a motivator for us to keep on improving our offerings,’’ she said.
The World Travel Awards are held annually to celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism and hospitality industry.
The online voting process is supported by a year-long communications campaign encouraging global participation.
Voters include qualified executives working within travel and tourism and the consumer travel buyer.
Edited by D Tarus