The Influence of Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) in Positioning Kenya as an Attractive Destination for American Leisure and Travel Market
Kenya is a popular tourism destination in Africa with abundant tourism resources and activities. However, to the Americans who are among the world’s top spenders in outbound travel, Kenya is not a popular destination. The study explored ways that Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) can use to position Kenya as an attractive destination for American leisure and travel market. The study targeted 40 respondents from selected ITOs based in Nairobi using questionnaire survey mainly on 5-point likert scale. Abundant wildlife, safari experience and unique accommodation were the most popular tourism products, and technology was the main source of information and trip planning (score 5). More than 50% of the tourists were accompanied by family members and would recommend Kenya to others. Insecurity, and travel time between the two countries were main constraints to American travelers to Kenya (score 5). ITOs have a vital role to make destination Kenya attractive to American travelers, and in enhancing visitor experiences at various destinations. It is suggested that ITOs work closely with the government to address security and safety issues, reduce travel time, create incentives for Kenyan Diaspora to consume and market destination Kenya, and invest in ICT and skills training, in order to increase American travelers’ consumption of destination Kenya.
