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As the tourism sector recovers, Kenya is targeting group travellers as a strategy to increase its share of the market and improve visitor arrivals into the country.

Speaking during an event held to showcase Kenya’s diverse offerings to a group of  50 women from the Coloured Girl Community at the Nairobi National Park, Principal Secretary, State Department for Tourism & Wildlife Zeinab Hussein said that group travel is a big catalyst to tourism growth in terms of numbers especially in the post Covid-19 era, and that the government would take full advantage of it to draw travellers.

“Travel is an important part of life for people, including women. Kenya's tourism industry is not only becoming more accessible and welcoming to women travellers, but is also catering to their experiences and wellness. We have worked to ensure that Kenya is a safe destination that offers memorable and value for money experiences for all travellers,” the PS said and further noted that women play an important role in tourism, adding that there were more opportunities for them now more than ever before.

Founded in 2016, the Colored Girl is a global community of over 82,000 Black, Latino, Indigenous and Asian women (BIWOC). The group, which is the largest network of women of colour, aims to nurture women to thrive in the world today and transform the world tomorrow by impacting the lives of communities through travel.

Kenya is hosting part of the week-long Coloured Girl Imara retreat in Nairobi. The retreat has a wellness, personal and professional development goal which will enable the ladies to have a perfect combination of travel, relationship-building and branding.

Ms Hussein explained how the government has put in place the requisite tourism products and infrastructure to enhance the tourism experience in Kenya, including the tremendous growth in infrastructure that supports tourism such as roads, airports, hotels and also products that visitors can enjoy.

“Further, over the last few years—more hotels and resorts have been built to cater for everyone’s preference, more flights are being scheduled into and out of the destination allowing more people the freedom of choice,” she added.

Speaking at the event, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO Dr Betty Radier, noted that the Imara retreat resonates with the current vision of Kenya’s tourism sector.

“Just like this retreat, we are focusing on ensuring that our visitors have immersive and life-changing experiences when they visit Kenya. We want them not just to feel safe, but to also carry memories that will last their lifetime. In Nairobi, the group will be able to enjoy safari, culinary experiences, culture, fashion and shopping among other experiences,” she said. 

The Coloured Girl global community has a combined buying power of $3.9 Trillion making it a prime target market for Kenya’s tourism. Their key tourist interests include cultural experiences, safari, beach experiences, culinary experiences and fashion.

“The choice of travel as a way of achieving wellness and motivation is wise because travel changes perspectives in terms of how one views things as well as helping one to learn about cultures and other people from across the globe. Kenya is glad to tap into the Coloured Girl community, and other similar networks, to show the world that Kenya is a travel destination for all,” said Dr Radier.