Kenya Airways rolls out campaign to woo Chinese tourists

"Campaign involves raising awareness among Chinese public about Kenya's tourist attractions."

In Summary
  • According to statistics from the Kenya Tourism Board, the government's marketing arm, about 52,000 Chinese nationals visited Kenya in 2023.

  • Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer of Kenya Airways noted that Kenya Airways currently flies five times a week between Nairobi and Guangzhou.

This photo taken on Nov. 15, 2023, shows a Kenya Airways plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya.
This photo taken on Nov. 15, 2023, shows a Kenya Airways plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya.
Image: Xinhua

Kenya Airways said Monday that it has rolled out a campaign to attract more Chinese travelers to the East African country.

Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer of Kenya Airways, said the campaign involves raising awareness among the Chinese public about Kenya's tourist attractions, such as wildlife parks.

"We are partnering with Chinese travel agents and airlines in order to increase Chinese inbound tourists into Kenya," Thairu said in an interview with Xinhua in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

According to statistics from the Kenya Tourism Board, the government's marketing arm, about 52,000 Chinese nationals visited Kenya in 2023.

He noted that Kenya Airways currently flies five times a week between Nairobi and Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Thairu added that the Kenyan carrier wants to expand its aircraft fleet and start flights to Beijing to tap into the growing Chinese tourism sector.

Kenya Airways has already entered into code-sharing agreements with China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines to expand its footprint in the Chinese travel market. 

An aerial drone photo taken on April 3, 2024, shows a city view in Nairobi, Kenya.
An aerial drone photo taken on April 3, 2024, shows a city view in Nairobi, Kenya.
Image: Xinhua/Han Xu
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