BY VICTOR ADAR
It is over five months since John Chirchir was picked as the chief executive officer of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on November 17, 2022. At the time, coronavirus pandemic and General Election jitters are the storms that nearly rocked the tourism sector, but eventually, the lockdowns ended, covid spread was contained, a new administration was ushered in, and today, the most urgent challenge to address is how to bring the sector back to its former glory.
Each chief executive always comes with signature promises, from how they are going to deliver and push policies that are in line with the development of a strong corporate brand to how they expect to achieve their overall objectives. One might think he/she has what it takes to be the highest-ranking person in an organization, but that is not always the case.
In the case of Mr. Chirchir, who is a marketer at heart, over the next five years, he will work with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that tourism benefits everyone involved in the value chain. He also expects marginal growth in earnings thanks to Kenya’s “magical” nature.
“Vison is to strengthen tourism to a position where (now) we have good forex reserves because tourism answers the economy question very quickly,” Mr. Chirchir told Zuru Link Africa magazine in an exclusive interview. “Tourism alone touches many lives, employs about almost 1 million people in Kenya directly, but indirectly employs much more. And its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is bout 10, which is big.”
Kenya is position 63 in the East African region and 72 internationally, according to latest data by Tourism Research Institute. The positions speak volumes. However, as one of the fastest growing sector, tourism is headed towards sustainable levels. In 2022, the arrivals into Kenya from the Indian source market alone recorded a growth of 93.2% from 42,159 in 2021 to 81,458 in 2022. This is a recovery of 67% as compared to the 2019 performance of 120,893.
“In 2023, we expect to have fully recovered and even added a larger percentage. We are targeting at growing arrivals to 3 million and then to 5 million but then there are all these things that we need to do to be ready for that. First, it will be 3 million then sustainably maintain the momentum to a place where we can do more,” says Chirchir.
He notes that the State Corporation’s five-year strategic plan is ending this year, and that they are currently working on the next one that will run from this year to the next five years. Besides county governments, the agency is working with Kenya Wildlife Services in an effort to unlock local tourism.
“We have increased employment for women and youth because we are now going to the country side through working with counties developing tourism products. We are currently implementing a mapping exercise of what is available in Kenya for tourism and experience, working with counties and working with SME investors,” says Chirchir.
During the one-on-one interview, the chief executive gave an example of Indian market where locals and private sector players are at the forefront of marketing native destinations. To him, only niche products will help lift the numbers of domestic and international arrivals.
So, why are cab drivers picking visitors from the airport, for example, not seeing a business opportunity when the government’s marketing agency has made it clear that tourism business is sustainable to operate?
“I have gone to countries where taxi drivers advise visitors on where to visit. They would ask the, ‘how long are you staying here?’ You actually think of extending your stay before you go to your hotel,” he said, adding that drivers generally know all the corners from national parks to conservancies, hotels and restaurants, major towns to remote places, sandy beaches, and more. He says: “They also understand adventure, heritage, wildlife as well as city life.”
Domestic travel
Through a corporate promotion dubbed “you deserve a holiday”, Chirchir believes the many challenges that continue to cloud domestic travel such as affordability, culture as well as lack of awareness on products that local travellers can take advantage of, will be a thing of the past.
To capture the demands of the dynamic tourism market, the agency is set to visit a number of towns. It started with Nairobi, Nakuru and Kisumu, and recently shifted the focus to Nanyuki and Mombasa. Visits to corporates, churches, and golf courses also reveal that the tourism is a hot market.
The State Corporation is also incorporating priorities from Kenya Kwanza government that include affordable travel, diversifying tourism across Kenya, increasing arrivals, and earnings and also looking at tourism not just from a strategy that is high end, but one which caters for everybody.
“There’s is this group of travelers; where money is not an issue. They just want the ‘wow experience’. They fill in a travel jet and will stay as long as they want so it does not have to be around migration season. People are also escaping certain conditions such as winter and Kenya is the best. We’ve received a lot of leads and actual conversion… others are like it sounds expensive then they are told, ‘do you know you can spend this much’ and they agree to board. So we have seen domestic recovery,” he points out.
Mr. Chirchir, who was at the helm of the agency’s digital marketing department, and was the go-to-guy regarding brand development for destinations, took over as CEO at a time when the tourism industry was in the red territory. With a Masters Degree in Hotel and Tourism Management, a Bachelor of Commerce in marketing and a postgraduate Diploma in digital marketing, he has what it takes to drive the agency to higher heights. He has been serving as the digital marketing manager, has extensive knowledge of destination marketing spanning over 20 years and has championed marketing programs in Kenya’s tourist key source markets of Europe, Emerging, Africa, and the US.
He says Kenya can also win new markets by embracing technology. With internet and smartphone penetration, travelers, especially the youth, can visit magical destinations across Kenya and “go live” through social media platforms like Facebook and Tik Tok – real time engagements can entice their followers,
It appears the current and previous CEOs strategies to shore up numbers in terms of domestic and international arrivals hinge on partnerships with private sector players. There is no doubt that partnerships with other stakeholders in the tourism industry, such as hotels, travel agencies as well as ordinary Kenyans will push demand for tourism to sustainable levels.
“Our main role is to make sure somebody who is thinking about the next destination for travel actually considers Kenya, and we don’t want Kenya to be sold as once in a life time or one season based destination. We want it to be sold as full year-round destination. So ours is to story tell about Kenya. Make it magical, make it so compelling that it is a trusted destination,” he says.
He cites “magical Kenya signature experiences” initiative where private sector comes up with experiences and tourists would pay. Kitengela Glass factory is one good example – access to the bridge and a stroll around the establishment can easily make a visitor extend his/her stay for a few hours, or even days.
In Maasai Mara, one of his favourite signature experiences is ‘becoming a Maasai Moran’ where a visitor is taken through how and what it takes to be a Moran. It is also interesting to note that the Samburu and the Maasai people have been the pillar that Kenya’s tourism is known for, but there is a new lot of travelers who are eager to go deep and know how, for example, particular communities dress. Maasai men, for example, are traditionally born and raised to be warriors in order to protect their livestock.
“These are the experiences that should be projected out there, Chirchir explains. “You truly become a Maasai, so those things that connect well with consumers do come up, and it is so good especially if you are from another country. Beautiful places like conservatives have also come up where communities are involved. They receive tourism dollars but they need to be known.”
