Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma gives a public lecture at the University of Nairobi, July 20, 2017. [PHOTO/nation.co.ke]
Chinese travel agents vending Kenyan tourism products have said the visit by Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma has been a major boost to their business that targets Chinese travellers into Kenya.
Ma's recent visit to Kenya coincided with the launching of mobile online training for tour and travel agents in China that was rolled out by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to develop prioritised destination awareness and create interest for travel among the Chinese people.
The agents say the visit by the billionaire greatly boosted bilateral trade between the two countries and now there are increased enquiries by the Far Eastern travellers around Kenya.
“As a result of his visit, I can assure you that our work of marketing Kenya has been made easier, interest to travel to Kenya has suddenly gone up and this is positive feedback,” Travel Service Bigeyes International co-founder Vivien Zhang said in a statement to to the press on Sunday.
General manager of a leading wholesaler of Africa and Middle East Johnson Chen said his company has received increased enquires about Kenya, something that came into the limelight after Ma’s visit.
“We anticipate to register an increase of travellers to Kenya in the month of September through to October, Kenya is now among the top sale destination owing to positives associations between the two countries,” said Chen.