NAIROBI, Aug 17 (BERNAMA-NNN-KBC) — Tourism industry players from around the East Africa sub-region and key stakeholders in Kenya will converge in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa this week to explore ways of unlocking East Africa’s tourism potential through the creation of a joint marketing platform.

The East Africa Tourism Development Forum will be held under the auspices of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at the Sarova Whitesands resort from Thursday to Saturday.

The forum, which will be chaired by the UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai, will feature discussions concerning intra-Africa opportunities in tourism and the strengthening of regional co-operation.

About 250 participants from 10 countries, including Cabinet Ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Seychelles, and the Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC), are expected to attend the forum whose theme is “Connecting Opportunity”.

The forum will seek ways of enhancing the visibility of the East African market within a highly competitive global tourism environment.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Phyllis Kandie, said here over the weekend that the forum would provide a valuable opportunity to position the region as a single destination.

“The idea is to showcase East Africa to a wider global audience. One of the key issues on the table is how to build the image of the region as a tourism destination,” said Kandie. “This is one of a series of major events we hope to capitalise on to build the Kenyan tourism brand.”

The forum will be held against the backdrop of a strong push especially by the UNWTO for countries to form regional tourism clusters. Such groupings, it is argued, will provide an effective marketing platform beyond individual country destinations.

Source: Bernama.com

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