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The Kenya Tourism Board has increased its budget for the Indian market to ₹5.3 crore ($800,000) in 2016-17 which will boost tourist growth rate from 28 per cent to 40 per cent this year.
With India being the third largest tourism generator for the East African nation, after the US and UK, it now expects to increase market share from the subcontinent on the back of new segments like Bollywood-based tourism.
Mohanjeet Brar, Director, Kenya Tourism, said, “We have been steadily increasing our budgets for the Indian market and this time it has gone up from ₹36 lakhs in 2015 to ₹5.3 crore. After the success of Hindi Films like Zindagi Ne Mile Dobara , which showed a road trip across Spain, led to more Indians travelling, we expect a similar outcome for Kenya. We have been in talks with Hindi film producers like Yashraj Studios to come and shoot in our country. Today we are willing to give cash rebates and duty waivers up to 30 per cent for Bollywood producers who make their films Kenya.’’
With tourism being the largest foreign exchange earner for Kenya expects to corner a greater share of Bollywood filming, which is dominated by South Africa.
“Most of the Bollywood films get shot in South Africa, which is our competitor in this segment. We are willing to give cash incentives for the same as filming in our country leads to more hotel rooms and safaris getting booked.’’
While Kenya is well known for the Unesco world heritage site of Masai Mara, it is adding new wildlife camps like the recent Porini Cheetah Camp, to enhance the wildlife experience in the country. “Kenya has a strong connection with India since it was also a British Colony. There is a substantial Indian population living here and even the new camps like the Porini Camp is owned by Indians,’’ he added.
In fact today, India continues to be the third largest source market in terms of market share. “In 2011, India was number six with a four per cent share among tourists but now it is at number three with a seven per cent share,’’ he added.
Also 75 per cent of the travellers come to Kenya for leisure while business travellers comprise 17 per cent.
In 2016, Kenya received 64,116 tourists from India, with a 28 per cent increase over the previous year.
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