DESTINATION EVENTS
- Kenya to host Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo, Kilifi County.
Kenya is set to host the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on 10th – 13th February 2022. The event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic that limited travels and events. The event will be held at Vipingo Ridge, Kilifi County – the same venue the first edition was held.
The tournament that has attracted over 100 professional golf players from across the globe is part of the of the Ladies European Tour, the only women’s professional golf tournament in the region.
The 72-hole stroke play competition has proven a significant milestone in the history of the golf sport in Kenya and works to motivate the next generation of female players throughout the country.
- Magical Kenya Open 2022 to be held at Muthaiga Golf Club.
Almost a month after the MKLO tournament, Kenya continues to cement her position as a golfing destination by hosting the Magical Kenya Open (MKO), The European Tour at the Muthaiga Golf Club from 3-6, March 2022.
The 2022 edition will mark the first time the European Tour has visited the prestigious Muthaiga Golf Club – which was established in the 1920s – after Karen Country Club, also in the Kenyan capital, hosted the Race to Dubai event in 2019 and 2021.
- East African Safari Classic Rally Set to Kick-Off in February 2022
First, run in 2003, the legendary East Africa Safari Classic Rally is set to be held in the destination, as motorsport continues to take its place in Kenya’s sporting calendar.
The nine-day rally which runs between the 10th-19th February 2022 will cover up to 5,000km across 13 counties through the tough, but stunning Naivasha, Nakuru, Nanyuki, Amboseli, Voi, and Watamu terrains. It will snake its way from the starting point in Naivasha to the finish line in Watamu, Kilifi County.
Some 48 rally drivers, 34 Kenyan and 14 foreign will take part in this year’s edition that will be headlined by Frenchman Sebastian Ogier, who has claimed seven WRC titles in the last eight seasons.
- Kenya Positioned as a Key Cultural & Heritage Tourism Destination
Kenya’s position as a rich cultural and heritage destination has received a boost following the awarding of Olergesaille Village as the Best Tourism village by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Olergaesaille village also known as Olorgesailie is among 44 villages from 32 countries that were recognised by UNWTO during the 2021 general meeting in Madrid, Spain. The villages were awarded for having met the criteria of standout natural and cultural resources as well as for their innovative and transformative actions and commitment to the development of tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Located in Olergesaille conservancy Kajiado county, the village is the custodian of one of Kenya’s rich prehistoric sites which is of global interest as it helps to piece together the human history and development.
It is famous for the hand axes unearthed here, many of which date back almost one million years and are some of the oldest ever found. Most of the axes are egg-shaped with razor-sharp edges for cutting and hewing – perfectly formed tools to fit a human hand. Because early humans camped here, there is an abundance of tools which are categorized as belonging to the Acheulean period. The location also offers a unique insight into our early ancestors Homo Erectus, and into the evolution of other early human species, with evidence of continuous hominid activity from 1.2 million to 490 thousand years ago.
Kenya’s cultural diversity and rich heritage has been key tourist attraction and has been the main avenue for the destination to connect with the world through experiences offered and learning.
With the variety of ethnicities across the different regions in the country and many UNESCO world heritage sites, Kenya is positioned as a key cultural and heritage tourism destination in Africa. Some of the key cultural attractions in the destination are the Maa culture, Costal region cultures, and heritage sites such as Lake Turkana Park, Lamu old town, and Fort Jesus among others.
- Kenya’s Tourism to Feature at Dubai Expo 2020
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB)will be championing Kenya’s participation at the Expo 2020 Dubai during the Kenyan week taking place from February 14th to 18th 2022.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to lead the Kenyan delegation during the event as the country aims to reposition its tourism sector as a key economic pillar on the global platform for its diversity, contribution to the global economy.
A series of Business to Business (B2B) events and consumer activations will be implemented to engage sector partners through showcasing Kenya’s positioning as the ideal travel destination within the African continent.
- Tourism and Aviation sector stakeholders’ partner in a bid to recover tourism
Key stakeholders in the tourism and travel industries have agreed to partner in order to significantly resuscitate the sectors which have been adversely affected by the restrictions occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
During a consultative forum hosted by the African Travel & Tourism Association, (ATTA), the stakeholders who included the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), Kenya Airways (KQ), Kenya Civil Aviation authority (KCAA) and the tourism sector umbrella bodies under the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF), agreed to correspondingly promote synergies between government and the private sector to enhance tourism and travel in the country and beyond the borders.
Kenya has a large membership in ATTA which is a member-driven trade association that promotes tourism to Africa from all corners of the world. The association which has 600 members in Africa and 90 in Kenya serves and supports businesses in Africa and represents buyers and suppliers of tourism product across 21 African countries.
During the pandemic in 2020, the sectors synergised to create the health and safety protocols that have guided operations in tourism and air travel. In the same year, the destination received the WTTC Safe Travel Stamp in recognition of the implementation of the global health and hygiene standardised protocols. In 2021, the protocols were reviewed and standardised to suit the current scenarios.
DEVELOPMENTS IN TRAVEL/TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
- Expressway from Airport to be complete by March 2022.
The Nairobi Expressway project is set to be ready in March 2022, six months ahead of schedule. The project which is being done by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) links JKIA to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. So far, the project is estimated to be 75 percent completed.
The project is expected to be a game-changer, one of a kind in East and Central Africa, and will act as a link between the East of the country and the West. It is expected to ease traffic on the busy highway making Nairobi more attractive to tourists and investors.
- Lamu Port to Boost Tourism in the region
The newly opened state-of-the-art Port of Lamu is expected to catapult the Kenya Coast tourism business giving it a much-needed lift to the sector’s fortunes. This is as more cruise ships are expected to dock at the port, with the Kenyan coast increasingly becoming attractive to cruise ships.
The Kenyan coast is a preferred destination for cruise holidaymakers since, after arrival at the port, it takes them a short time to head to national parks for safari. The region also has numerous other destinations including hotels that boast international standards.
COVID UPDATE JANUARY 2022
- UAE lifts ban on Kenyan flights
Travellers from Kenya are now allowed entry into Dubai from Saturday, 29th Jan 2022 after the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) lifted a ban it had imposed on all inbound and transit passenger flights since last year.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said that the ban on Kenya was lifted on Wednesday night, offering a major relief to hundreds of travellers between the two destinations. UAE barred entry of flights from Kenya on December 20, 2021, after establishing that travellers from Nairobi were testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival in the Middle East country despite presenting negative test results. However, the ban did not affect cargo flights by carriers like Kenya Airways (KQ) and Emirates Airlines.
For more information, please contact us on communications@ktb.go.ke
MAGICAL KENYA 