NAIROBI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), the country's state-owned tourism marketing body, said Wednesday that it will leverage sports to increase visitor arrivals.
Chief Executive Officer of the KTB June Chepkemei said Kenya is experiencing low visitor numbers for sports-related events, with only 4,600 sports tourists recorded between January and October.
"To boost our tourism offering, our goal is to empower the travel trade to better understand and package sports tourism opportunities," Chepkemei said during a capacity-building forum on sports tourism, according to a statement issued in Nairobi, Kenya's capital.
She said that, with the opportunity to host key local and international sports events, Kenya can expand its tourism portfolio and offer alternatives to travelers seeking adventure and sports.
The forum brought together over 100 participants from across the tourism value chain, aiming to equip them with insights and strategies to leverage major sporting events for tourism growth.
Chepkemei urged sports federations to synchronize the sports events calendar, making it easier for tour operators to leverage key events and establish Kenya as a tourism destination.
"We want to ensure that both the sports fraternity and Kenyan tourism stakeholders can fully capitalize on the significant opportunities presented by sports events," Chepkemei noted.
The forum focused on building synergies between tourism stakeholders and key sports event organizers in Kenya. Tour operators and hotels were encouraged to get creative in bundling offers to encourage repeat visits and longer stays for sports tourists.
According to the UN Tourism, the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, sports tourism is increasingly becoming a key driver for the sector, generating around 10 percent of the world's tourism expenditure, with an estimated growth rate of 17.5 percent by 2030.
