Philippines highlights its travel destinations | ArabNews

Philippines highlights its travel destinations | ArabNews

RIYADH: RODOLFO C. ESTIMO JR. | ARAB NEWS STAFF

Saturday 27 April 2013

Last Update 27 April 2013 2:16 am

The Philippine Embassy is participating in the 5th Riyadh Travel Fair 2013, which opened last Tuesday and ends today, at the Four Seasons Hotel at the Kingdom Center.
“This is the Philippines’ first-ever participation in the Riyadh Travel Fair and we are delighted to tap the huge Saudi tourism market by showcasing the Philippines' travel destinations,” said Consul General Marshall Louis Alferez.
Other participating countries are Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, Morocco, Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Poland, Austria and Switzerland.
Alferez said that several travel agencies in the Kingdom had chosen to specialize in Philippine destinations and expressed confidence that “our unique branding will result in a further increase in the number of Saudi travelers to the Philippines.”
Through its booth, the embassy has been providing information, brochures and some giveaway items on tourism destinations in the Philippines and promoting the Department of Tourism’s slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”, with the assistance of Bizgate, DOT’s marketing arm in the Middle East. Besides showcasing top destinations in the country, the booth also promotes tourism activities and Philippine products.
Alferez thanked the travel agencies for promoting the country as a tourist destination since tourism promotion is one of the major thrusts of the Philippine government at present.
Manila has allocated 13 billion pesos to develop what it calls as “tourism roads” all over the country next year.
The organizers expect some 20,000 local and foreign visitors to visit the fair. Last year’s fair drew 11,652 visitors.

Portugal elected top country to visit in 2013 - The Portugal News

Portugal elected top country to visit in 2013 - The Portugal News

Portugal has been elected the number one country to travel to in 2013 by the Spanish edition of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler magazine, one of the most important travel publications available in Spain.

It is the first time Portugal has taken the title, this year singled out for its “charm and friendliness.”

The decision was made by magazine readers who considered Portugal the best destination for 2013, ahead of five other competitors: Argentina, Spain, USA, Italy and Thailand.

In a statement to website Boas Notícias, the Portuguese Institute for Tourism stressed that “a special charm that is visible in Portugal’s traditions, in cities that combine modernity with history, landscapes and beaches” was responsible for it taking the top spot.

As well as what it offers tourists, Portugal was complimented in the prize-giving ceremony for its environmental richness, “which blends with nature”, and for the Portuguese people, “who seduce with their charm and friendliness.”

The national tourism board Turismo de Portugal is confident that “this distinction will reinforce Portugal’s visibility as a tourist destination of excellence within Spain, which is one of its main international markets.”

The fifth Condé Nast Traveler Awards attributed accolades in fifteen different categories, including hotels, resorts, spas, cities, transports, technological products and fashions and beauty accessories connected to tourism and travel, among others.

This year’s awards were delivered in a special ceremony that took place last Thursday in Madrid and saw Luís Matoso, administrator of Turismo de Portugal, accept the gong from Spanish writer Javier Moro.

Travel: 5 free things to do in Romania's capital, Bucharest | masslive.com

Travel: 5 free things to do in Romania's capital, Bucharest | masslive.com

Pacific Islands: Off road in the real Fiji - Travel - NZ Herald News

Pacific Islands: Off road in the real Fiji - Travel - NZ Herald News

DIA explores forward-thinking digital trends in travel and tourism prior to PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok

DIA explores forward-thinking digital trends in travel and tourism prior to PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok
Digital Innovation Asia (DIA) has partnered with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), as well as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to increase relevance to the industry when it comes to digital innovation in travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region. Delegates of the PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok from April 25-27th, can take advantage of attending the China Boot Camp and Digital Aid Asia at a 40% discount.

Located alongside, the Digital Innovation Asia events are deliberately timed to lead into and support the PATA Summit at the end of April, and follow TTM+ in June, to stage digital events, which include the Digital Innovation Asia Awards, Digital Aid Asia, Blogger Match-Up Asia, Speak-Out Asia. Kicking off the series of events, the China Boot Camp on April 23rd at Pullman Hotel G Bangkok will help travel companies understand the Chinese travel market, and how to market to affluent Chinese consumers, followed by Digital Aid Asia Forum on April 24th at zuma Restaurant (at St Regis Hotel Bangkok). 

China has become the world largest single source market for international tourism revenues – but how to market to the most valuable, high-yield affluent Chinese consumers?

The China Boot Camp on April 23rd will help companies understand how to reach and connect with “the new Chinese tourist” and affluent consumers, by leveraging the complex social media landscape in China. Delegates will be able to hear about the latest trends in marketing to Chinese consumers, and learn about the rapidly changing and evolving Digital and Social Media Landscape in China, including the latest start-ups.  Taking a deep dive into the complex and unique digital and social media landscape in China, the April 23rd China Boot Camp will feature the unique opportunity to engage with three top Chinese bloggers, sponsored by Chinese travel social media website Tripshow.com. Interested travel companies can apply to be part of a Chinese mini blogger match-up the morning prior to the China Boot Camp. 

Every participant will receive a hard-copy version of the latest Essential China Travel Trends Book, and a special offer for a one-year Basic membership from TripShow.com, valued at RMB 5,000 or USD 800 (Note: Sina Weibo account is required). 

According to the latest data from the UNWTO from April 2013, Chinese nationals spent a record US$102 billion on overseas travel 2012, taking it to the top of the international standings and making it the first country ever to achieved nine-digit spending in US dollar terms. The result marks the culmination of a sharp rise in Chinese outbound travel over the past decade. International travel from China has become a major source of growth for providers in the destination countries. There will be an average of 25 million first-time Chinese travellers every year, or 70,000 every day, for the next 10 years. An increasing number of second and multiple times Chinese visitors are more likely to travel independently, and not part of a group, meaning that they have a greater choice of timing and destinations. They have the opportunity to explore ‘off-the-beaten-track’ venues and can look for holidays and activities that suit their personal interests.

Jens Thraenhart, Founder of Digital Innovation Asia (DIA) says: “The way many Chinese consumers are finding out about new destinations and travel services, as well as hotel or cruise brands is via the Internet. With over 564 million Internet users in China in April 2013 (an increase of 40 million new Internet Users in just the last year) which represents over 42% of their population and almost double the population of the US, more than 80% of Chinese travellers research and educate themselves about destinations and brands online. Chinese consumers are increasingly being influenced by digital and social media marketing, and any travel suppliers looking to enter the Chinese market need to lead with digital, mobile, and social media marketing.”

Sustainable Tourism 2.0 - digitally powering and taking responsible tourism development to the next level. First ever conference focusing on responsible tourism development and capacity building via technology, social media, and mobile.

On April 24th, the Digital Aid Asia Forum is the first ever conference focusing on helping emerging tourism regions across Asia to learn how to leverage technology and digital media for capacity building to develop tourism in a responsible way and drive poverty alleviation. Linked with the 2013 PATA Annual Summit (PAS) in Bangkok from April 25-26, Digital Innovation Asia (DIA) is organizing the first ever Digital Aid Asia Forum on April 24th at trendy zuma Restaurant at the St Regis Hotel in Bangkok. Emceed by media and global tourism personality Ms. Anita Mendiratta of CNN T.A.S.K Group, speakers including Google, Mekong Tourism, PATA, BeMyGuest.travel, WIT, DIA, Cambodia e-Visa, Future e-Learning Resources, and Backpacker Magazine Southeast Asia, will discuss the issues from crisis management, human trafficking, human resources development, capacity building from micro-financing and e-Visa, and how internet and emerging technologies, mobile, and social media can act as an enabler and catalyst to drive positive economic growth supporting the visitor economy.

Mr. Martin Craigs, CEO of PATA says: “We are naturally motivated to partner with Digital Innovation Asia. These events are a perfect primer for next gen minded mentors the day before our summit. Mobile, digital, and social media in Asia are "m-powering" the complete Visitor Economy, clearly a catalyst for balanced travel and tourism growth in the region. The China Boot Camp and Digital Aid Asia will be inspirational, thought provoking covering issues like crisis management, e-Visa, and human trafficking.” 

Nominations for the Digital Innovation Asia Awards are being accepted from now until May 31st, and the DIA Awards Celebration will be on June 10th at famous Bed Supperclub in Bangkok. There is no charge for nominations, and it is open travel and tourism organizations, content creators, and agencies, as well as travelers. The Digital Innovation Asia Awards recognize the most forward thinking yet performance-oriented digital innovations in the Pacific Asia travel and tourism industry.

Categories include “Most Engaging Website”, “Most Viral Campaign”, “Most Creative Use of Technology”, “Most Inspiring?Content”, “Most Impactful Startup”, and “Most InnovativeDigital Organization”.

The DIA Awards are overseen by members of the new Digital Innovation Asia Council, an invite-only forum of the most senior e-commerce executives and digital marketing thought-leaders from hotels, airlines, and tourist boards from all corners of the Asia Pacific region.  We encourage all travel and tourism organizations to submit their best digital work, and work they have admired over the past 15 months from January 2012 to April 2013. Please visit our DIA Awards partner TravelDailyNews.Asia to submit your nominations at http://goo.gl/rRVwS.

Digital Innovation Asia is endorsed and supported by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN), the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), the Tourism Technology Association (TTA), the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the International Federation of IT in Travel and Tourism (IFITT), and the International Association of Travel and Tourism Professionals (SKAL).  

PATA Launches Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017

PATA Launches Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management (PolyU) released their joint publication, the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017, today. The new forecasts on the complete visitor economy will make it easier for tourism organisations to anticipate demand trends and manage supply.

For the first time, PATA's Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017 have been produced in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management. The annual and quarterly forecasts cover a five-year horizon (up from three) and include price elasticity variables for most of the destinations covered.

High-level snapshots from the forecasts show that:

• Visitor arrivals to the Asia Pacific region will continue to grow with an average annual growth rate of 4.1% over the period 2013-2017 and reach 581 million by 2017
• Northeast Asia will maintain a dominant position in the inbound market of Asia Pacific, and its market share will reach 53.52% by 2017
• China will continue to be the top inbound destination in the Asia Pacific, peaking at 147.4 million visitors in 2017
• Hong Kong SAR will surpass the USA to be the second largest inbound destination in Asia Pacific in 2015
• Visitor arrivals to the Asia Pacific from China will exceed 100 million by 2015
• Cambodia, the Maldives, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan and Mongolia are the top five fastest growing destinations in terms of visitor arrivals over the period 2013-2017.

Taken together these projections provide essential information for tourism planners and operators alike.

The forecasts aim to help destinations set strategy for the coming years by supporting the complete visitor economy in both long-term decision and policy making by predicting arrivals, tourism receipts and departures according to country/region of origins for 41 destinations.

"I am delighted to recommend these next generation forecasts to PATA members and associates. The scope and quality of the forecasts will add value to our many different members across 17 time zones and many different functional groups," said Mr Martin J Craigs, PATA CEO.

"We are very pleased to be part of the new PATA NextGen forecasting initiative, as transferring our knowledge to practice has been high on our school's research agenda," said Professor Kaye Chon, Dean of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Published annually with a quarterly breakdown, the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017 will include information about visitor arrivals to select PATA member economies from key source markets, visitor expenditures in PATA member economies, and visitor departures of member economies. The annual edition of the forecasts will also feature reports analysing the forecasts and their implications, taking into account particular trends for certain regions.

Though it is clear that demand for inbound and outbound travel in Asia Pacific is growing, it is the details shown by forecasts of travel demand that will guide the visitor economy in the measurement of tourist arrivals and expenditure. Forecasts can help justify decision-making in terms of planning investments in visitor infrastructure, human resource management, marketing resource allocation decisions and new product development.

The forecasts have been created using a combination of statistical and judgmental methodologies, with a view to generating more accurate and reliable forecasts. In other words, this forecasting system incorporates advanced econometric techniques as well as expert opinion in forecasting the demand for travel from various source markets to destinations within the Asia Pacific region. The outputs of this forecasting system will provide useful information on the future trends of the complete visitor economy (measured by tourist arrivals, departures and tourist expenditures).

PATA government members and Premier Partners will have access to the forecasts included in their membership benefits through PATA's insights tool, PATAmPOWER. Other members may purchase the forecasts. Customized forecasts are also available upon request, for an additional fee.

India one of the top tourism destinations in Asia - The Times of India

India one of the top tourism destinations in Asia - The Times of India
BANGALORE: India is one of the top tourism destinations in Asia, according to findings from aCNN global travel survey released recently. The results also position the country as the region's fourth fastest growing tourism destination and the third most attractive business for investment opportunities, right after China and Hong Kong. 

One-fifth of CNN's audience of global travelers considering a visit to Asia Pacific, would consider visiting India in the 12 months and experts say its celebrated culture could be a prime reason. The destination fended off competition from Japan and Thailand to rank as the no. 1 destination in the region with the second richest culture and heritage, with only China scoring more in this category. 

The study, entitled 'CNN Consumer Connect - Travel and Tourism 2013', looks at consumer travel trends, perceptions and behavior, and was hosted on all CNN websites worldwide. It polled more than 3,000 readers based in over 70 countries around the world and included 25 Asia Pacific destinations. 

Duncan Morris, vice-president of Research at Turner International Asia Pacific, said, "These results are great news for India and the Asia Pacific region as a whole. CNN consumers are discerning, affluent global travelers and they clearly indicate a desire to visit this part of the world to enjoy a particular brand of hospitality, food, culture - everything that makes a travel experience distinctive. At a time where money in the household is perceived to be tighter, spending on travel is still obviously a priority for many". 

A look at 'travel perceptions and behavioral trends' reveals that safety and security issues are of greater concern for two-thirds of global respondents when choosing an international travel destination. Asia Pacific-based travelers prioritize price slightly more than the global average, while reputation is third in their list of considerations.

New world travellers are changing the tourism map | Opinion | Comment and Analysis | Mail & Guardian

New world travellers are changing the tourism map | Opinion | Comment and Analysis | Mail & Guardian

South Africa's stellar reputation as a tourism destination continues to grow. In 2012 South Africa's tourist growth rate was more than double the global average (about 4%, as estimated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation). Visits by tourists from outside the African continent grew significantly at 15.1% – one of the highest rates in the world last year.

Europe remained the highest source market – more than half the total number of overseas tourists. The United States and Germany followed, with China becoming South Africa's fourth-biggest overseas tourism market, 55.9% on 2011 figures. China's growth is significant, showing that we, the Brics countries (Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa), are in the process of remapping the contours of tourism globally.

It is expected that over the next 20 years international tourist arrivals in emerging economy destinations will grow at double the pace (4%) of those in advanced economy destinations (projected at 2%). The former will surpass the latter very soon: the projected crossing point at which tourism to emerging market destinations exceeds tourism to the advanced economies is 2015 – a mere two years from now.

Emerging market destinations boast offerings unparalleled in the world (and are great value for money). There are natural treasures such as the Amazon Rainforest and the Kruger National Park; there are world heritage sites such as the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Sugarloaf Mountain in Brazil, Table Mountain in Cape Town, and the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park in KwaZulu-Natal. The emerging markets are becoming more vital source markets even as emerging destinations change travel patterns around the world. Much of the new outbound tourism growth will be from Asia, Latin America and Africa.

The Brics summit in Durban recently highlighted the economic potential of our affiliation with this bloc, especially the tourism industry. We are currently in the process of negotiating a joint memorandum of understanding among Brics tourism ministers to take forward our co-operation in tourism. Greater collaboration at this level can only help South Africa be even more accessible to visitors from these markets.

Marthinus van Schalkwyk is the minister of tourism

World Travel Awards (WTA) in Kenya Kenya Tourism Board to host Africa's “Oscars of the Travel ...

World Travel Awards (WTA) in Kenya Kenya Tourism Board to host Africa's “Oscars of the Travel ...

Kenya’s profile as a preferred tourist destination has received a boost with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) winning the bid to host this year’s World Travel Awards (WTA) Africa region on 16th October this year. The WTA nominations will recognise excellence in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, thus encouraging nominees to uphold constant improvement in products and delivery of service.

Kenya as a host destination comes hot on the heels of KTB’s award as the Africa’s leading Tourism Board by WTA in December last year. In February this year, KTB was also honoured as “Best African Tourism Board” in the Africa Safari awards held in London England.

“World Travel Awards (WTA) is coming to Kenya at the right time after a successful and peaceful general election under a new constitution. This has further raised the country’s profile as a safe destination” Says KTB Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa. “That WTA has chosen Kenya for the African region ceremony as part of the world grand tour, is an endorsement of the country as a preferred tourism destination in the world”, added the Managing Director.

Graham E. Cooke, President and Founder, WTA, added, “The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Kenya as a nation has all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa Ceremony – a warm, vibrant and progressive nation, brimming with enthusiasm and creativity. Tourism is vital to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 percent to its GDP and sustaining one in ten jobs. The future is bright for Kenya, given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, its unrivalled wildlife experiences and pristine beaches.”

Kenya is located in East Africa and boasts white sandy beaches bathed by the Indian Ocean as well as the majestic snow-capped Mount Kenya. It is increasingly emerging as an Adventure destination offering activities from hot air ballooning, to authentic cultural interactions with the local ethnic communities, as well as visits to the world renowned Masai Mara, with breath taking safaris and wildebeest migrations, supported by a miscellany of unique superior class accommodation.

For further details, including entry forms and closing deadlines for nominations, visit www.worldtravelawards.com/nominate.

WTA’s 2013 Grand Tour will include regional events in the Dubai (UAE), the Maldives, Turkey, Kenya, Peru, Antigua and Singapore throughout the year. The winners of these regional events will progress to the Grand Final, which will take place at the end of 2013.

The ceremonies are widely regarded as possibly the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

The 2012 WTA Grand Tour ceremonies were attended by more than 3,000 guests from 92 countries, as well as media from 194 TV channels and publications.

South Africa visitors climb 10.2% | News | Breaking Travel News

South Africa visitors climb 10.2% | News | Breaking Travel News

A total of 9 188 368 international tourists visited South Africa in 2012, 10.2% more than the 8 339 354 tourists who travelled to the country in 2011, President Jacob Zuma has revealed.

South Africa’s tourist growth rate in 2012 was more than double the rate of average global tourist growth of about 4% estimated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in 2012.

South Africa saw particularly good overseas tourist growth (tourists from outside of the African continent), which grew by 15.1%, one of the highest growth rates in the world last year.

Europe remained the highest source of overseas tourists to South Africa, growing by 9.5% on 2011 figures and attracting a total of 1 396 978 tourists to the country last year – more than half the total number of overseas tourists.

The United Kingdom continues to be South Africa’s biggest overseas tourism market, with 438 023 UK tourists travelling to South Africa in 2012 (4.2% up on 2011 figures). The United States is South Africa’s second biggest overseas tourism market, with 326 643 tourists from the USA visiting in 2012 (up 13.6% on 2011 figures), with Germany the third biggest overseas market with 266 333 tourists (up 13% on 2011 figures). China has become South Africa’s fourth biggest overseas tourism market, 132 334 (up 55.9% on 2011 figures), with France now South Africa’s fifth biggest overseas tourism market with 122 244 tourists in 2012 (up 16% on 2011 figures).

allAfrica.com: Africa: Search On for Africa's Top Travel App

allAfrica.com: Africa: Search On for Africa's Top Travel App

Kenyan developers will have the chance to win about KSh.840,000 (US $10,000) in the Africa App Quest, which is being sponsored by Visa and South African Tourism. The Quest, which went live recently, challenges talented developers across Sub-Saharan Africa to build a home-grown travel app, specially designed for the tourism sector in Africa.

The Africa App Quest is built on the growing use of apps for travel and to capitalise on the continent's growing popularity as a global tourist destination. According to research commissioned by the World Bank, even with the economic slowdown, Sub-Sahara Africa's travel and tourism industry is expected to achieve an annual growth rate of 5.5 percent over the next ten years. The world average is 4.1 percent.

"Visa is excited to be involved with the Africa App Quest as it has the potential to reach out to a wider, global audience and strengthen inbound travel," said Jodie Schorn, Head of Cross-Border Marketing for Visa Sub-Saharan Africa.

Schorn added: "We encourage all developers - whether up-and-coming or already established in the industry - to get involved in the Africa App Quest. This is a great way for developers to make a name for themselves in the global travel and tech community.

South African Tourism's Global E-Marketing Manager, William Price added: "This is an opportunity for developers to step into the broader development arena and use their expertise to contribute to the fast growing tourism industry and build a uniquely African app that enhances every tourist's travel experience."

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Managing Director, Muriithi Ndegwa, said the Africa App Quest was a great opportunity for the Kenyan tech sector, "Kenya is widely known as one of Africa's innovative hubs of application development. He further added: "In line with growing demands of the modern traveler, we have embraced e-tourism and recently launched our own mobile app at the just ended ITB 2013 in Berlin".

Entries for the Africa App Quest can include anything from online safari guides and urban directories to game spotting and recording apps, online booking and shopping tools, or apps interpreting local cultures. Any application from an African company, that uses technology to improve and increase travel in Africa will be eligible.

The competition closes on the 16th of August 2013, after which the judges - including representatives from Visa, South African Tourism Board, Betapond (an approved Facebook developer), Kenya Tourism Board and Trip Advisor - will announce the three shortlisted entries. A representative for each of the shortlisted entries will be flown to the 6th Annual E- Tourism Africa Summit in Cape Town for the final judging by the audience on the 9th and 10th of September 2013. The winner of the Africa App Quest will receive a cash prize of US $10,000.

AHIF organiser welcomes pro-tourism government in Kenya | News | Breaking Travel News

AHIF organiser welcomes pro-tourism government in Kenya | News | Breaking Travel News

Organisers of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum and other leaders of the hotel investment community have welcomed the new pro-tourism administration in Kenya, hot on the heels of the announcement by the president of several ministerial candidates.

The new government stood for election with tourism highlighted in its manifesto and since Uhuru Kenyatta’s inauguration, commitments have been made to increase the intensity of Kenya’s tourism marketing activity, to double the number of tourists to three million a year and to provide incentives to encourage investment in tourist accommodation.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the total contribution of tourism to Kenya’s GDP in 2012 was KES448.4bn, 12.5 per cent of the total.

The figure is forecast to rise by 2.2 per cent in 2013 and to rise by 4.5 per cent per annum over the next decade to KES714.8bn in 2023.

Phyllis Jepkosgei Kandie has been nominated as the new cabinet secretary for commerce and tourism, with useful experience to draw on from a career that has embraced banking and enterprise promotion.

She also has academic qualifications in business and economics.

Improved transport infrastructure is also high on the new government’s agenda.

Michael Kamau, a prominent civil engineer and a key architect of the infrastructure upgrade in the last ten years, has been proposed as the cabinet secretary responsible for constructing a series of commuter railway networks in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, including a link to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

One gathering that will have a bearing on the speed of tourism growth will be AHIF 2013, which takes place in Nairobi on September 24th-25th.

It brings together the leading international hotel investors in Africa with local operators, ministers, government officials and industry experts, who will discuss all aspects of hotel investment and operation in Africa.

In 2012, the event attracted 426 delegates from 38 countries who represented 310 organisations. Several networking contacts made at AHIF have since resulted in promising new business relationships and the event attracted considerable media attention, with around a hundred reports appearing in the Kenyan media and around the world.

Jonathan Worsley, chairman of AHIF organiser Bench Events, said: “The pro-tourism stance of the new Kenyan government is evidently increasing the country’s investment appeal and the proactive nature of the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation is a factor too.

“Even though there was pressure to stage AHIF 2013 in another African city this year, it made a strong and successful case to keep the event in Nairobi.”