EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM EAST AFRICA YEAR OF TRAVEL
EAST AFRICA YEAR OF TRAVEL
Introduction The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has approved the adoption of 2017 as the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development”, which will be organized and implemented by UNWTO, in collaboration with Governments, relevant organizations of the UN system, international and regional organizations and all other relevant stakeholders. This decision follows the recognition by global leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) that “well-designed and well-managed tourism” can contribute to the three dimensions of sustainable development, job creation and trade. On the other hand, African Union has introduced a single African passport aimed at creating a borderless Africa free from visa requirements for Africans travelling within African countries by 2018. In this regard, East Africa Tourism Platform is proposing to declare 2017 as the “East Africa Year of Travel” with the aim of increasing intra and inter-regional tourism.
East Africa Tourism Platform East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) is a private sector body, working towards promoting the interest and participation of the private sector in the East African Community integration process. As the first regional tourism apex body, EATP works closely with ministries in charge of Tourism, Wildlife, Trade and Transport portfolios, the EAC Secretariat, East African Business Council and Private Sector Organizations in all EAC Partner States to addresses tourism development and promotion at the EAC level The mission of EATP is to promote intra and inter-regional tourism though advocacy, marketing, skills development, research and information sharing. The overarching goal of EATP is to create a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination providing exceptional experiences within the EAC. Moreover, the platform seeks to enhance East Africa’s tourism competitiveness through policy advocacy and effective dialogue among stakeholders. The strategic objectives of EATP are to: »» Intermediate and reduce obstacles to intra and inter-regional tourism »» Promote an intra and inter-regional tourism marketing approach »» Facilitate continuous skills development in the tourism sector »» Promote harmonized standards and codes of conduct for tourism facilities and services
EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
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»» Facilitate access to finance and risk management services »» Share information and provide networking opportunities
2017, East Africa Year of Travel East Africa has unrivalled competitiveness with incontestable diversity and attractiveness. EATP recognizes the crucial need to build a strong market within the EAC region. Hence, EATP is proposing to declare 2017 as the “East Africa Year of Travel”. This declaration will promote and give impetus to our goal to promote a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination providing exceptional experiences within the EAC. Furthermore, the declaration will bring international attention to EAC’s tourism industry; hence raising interest in the region. By launching a campaign to promote “East Africa Year of Travel” the EATP aims to create: »» Awareness: The campaign will raise awareness of destination East Africa by showcasing the diversity of tourism products across the region. Travel and tourism is an incredibly competitive industry; therefore, regional cooperation is crucial in order to build a strong foundation for tourism in East Africa and increase the region’s competitiveness. »» The campaign will stimulate interest in the destination from domestic, regional and international visitors. EATP recognizes the potential of East Africa as a leading tourism destination. For this purpose, awareness and interest must be raised about the destination, not only outside the region but also within the East African countries. Time has come when we should sensitize the general public and stakeholders on the socioeconomic benefits of travel and tourism in East Africa by being the agents of change as well as playing our role as travellers. »» Conversion: The campaign aims at maximizing the conversion rate by using different promotional platforms such as the East Africa Destination Portal. The Portal is an online platform developed to promote East Africa as a preferred tourism destination in Africa and raise awareness of the individual countries’ tourism products. The portal will offer the possibility to book different tourism related activities and offer discounts and packages. The campaign will ensure conversion by persuading the portal’s visitors to become buyers. EATP will collaborate with tourism players in the region to offer promotions, discounts and packages throughout the year, which will drive a large number of potential travelers to actual conversions and bookings. »» Conversation: Through the campaign, EATP will engage a conversation with travelers interested in the East Africa destination and encourage them to share their experience and journey in the region on various social media platforms. They will be encouraged to write about their visit, share pictures and videos of their experiences and use hash tags that will be created for “East Africa Year of Travel”. It is envisioned that these travelers will become influencers and even allow the campaign to reach a wider audience.
Partners In order for this initiative to be successful, EATP is seeking partnership with key tourism stakeholders in East Africa, such as private sector players, national tourism boards and ministries of tourism, to endorse 2017 as the East Africa Year of Travel and give it the necessary support. EATP is reaching out to the East African Community and Ministries of Tourism in the five Partner States to endorse the initiative and declare 2017 as the “East Africa Year of Travel” through their domestic and regional marketing strategies.
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EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
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Borderless Borders Celebrate Culture Experience this using your Interstate pass, National or Student ID
Destination East Africa
EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM Kenya Tourism Federation – Secretariat| KWS Headquarters – Langata Road, P.O. Box 15013-00509, Nairobi| Tel: +254208001000/3/1| Mobile: +254724624538 Facebook: East Africa Tourism Platform| Twitter: @TourismEA| Skype: tourismea