•The Kenyan delegation is using the forum to market and position Kenya as a favourable business events and conferencing destination.
•Led by Chief Executive Officer Nana Gecaga, KICC is joined by players from the private sector mainly hotels and tour firms.
The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is leading hotel and tourism players from the country to market Kenya in this year’s IBTM show in Barcelona, Spain.
Led by Chief Executive Officer Nana Gecaga, KICC is joined by players from the private sector among them InterContinental Kenya, Pride Inn, Twiga Tours, Raddison Blu Kenya, Safari Park Hotel, Enashipai Hotels and Maniago Tours.
The delegation is using the forum which commenced on Tuesday, ending today, to market and position Kenya as a favourable business events and conferencing destination.
It is the first time the show has attracted seven private sector participants from Kenya.
“This shows the country is taking up its position as a preferred conference tourism destination in Africa. KICC continues to work closely with private sector to position Kenya as the preferred business and conference tourism destination,” Gecaga said.
The global annual event has attracted more than 15,000 conference tourism industry players.
A state parastatal, KICC is mandated to market and position the country for conference tourism both locally and internationally. It is coordinating Kenya’s participation at the show on behalf of the Tourism Ministry.
“KICC has made deliberate efforts to include partners in aggressive marketing of the destination by taking up a bigger elaborately branded exhibition stands,” Gecaga noted.
The centre has also undertaken a number of other marketing initiatives that will position the country for conference tourism.
The IBTM show is expected to reap business leads that will be followed up as potential conferences and events to be hosted in Kenya.
Kenya has a total of 180 hosted buyer appointments and several group presentations that will be providing leads for potential conventions and incentives travel to Kenya.
Most conferences that the country hosts are through bidding and aggressive follow up from the government and private sector.
Kenya recently raised its profile owing to the high-end international conferences it has hosted in the recent past, thereby making its bid to host more international conferences much easier.
Last week, the country hosted the biggest conferences this year-the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD 25) which attracted more than 9,500 delegates.
Some of the upcoming conferences to be hosted at KICC include the ninth Summit of Afro Caribbean (ACP) Pacific Heads of State and Government (December 6 -10), Africa Conference on Sexual Health & Rights Conference(February 11-13 2020), Einstein 2020 forum in March next year and the Africa Water Security Congress April 27-29 among others.
These conferences are expected to boost the business tourism sector in Kenya.
Previous high profile conferences that the country has hosted include the Global Conference on Sustainable Blue economy, TICAD 6, UNCTAD 14 and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Executive council meeting.