Tourism Triangle partners and guests pose for a photo during the initiative’s launch in Washington, D.C.
By Teddy Noel
Kenya is seeking to deepen tourism, trade and investment ties with the United States through a new partnership linking Nairobi-based Tuua Safaris with US-based Africaire Hospitality Group.
The partnership, unveiled during a forum hosted by the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C., will establish what the organizers have termed a “Tourism Triangle” linking Kenya with the Washington metropolitan area and, later, Caribbean markets.
The initiative is expected to use tourism, cultural exchange and business networking to open opportunities for companies and investors in Kenya and the US.
Kenya’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, Ambassador Christopher Kirigua, said the partnership should translate discussions into practical business and investment opportunities.
“Everyone should visit Kenya and fall in love. Most importantly, let us begin progressive conversations with action starting right here, right now, that benefit all of us from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and all our organisations and corporations in this very room,” he said.
The September 30 forum brought together representatives from the diplomatic, aviation, hospitality, trade and investment sectors, as well as business leaders from Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
The initiative is targeting growing interest in Kenya among American leisure travellers, students, corporate executives and investors, while also seeking to give Kenyan tourism and hospitality firms greater access to the US market.
Tuua Safaris founder and chief executive Lucy Kimanzi said the company would use the partnership to develop travel programmes combining tourism, cultural immersion and investment opportunities.
“Just as we have numerous beautiful destinations to view from the coast to the safaris, we have engaging cultural exchange programmes that could help develop the youth, expand the mind of university students or globally expose the workforce within America,” Ms Kimanzi said.
She said the company’s travel and investment expeditions had already attracted hundreds of visitors and were designed to build longer-term links between travellers and local communities.
Africaire Hospitality Group chief executive Ike Nwaneri said the partnership would also use African restaurants, hotels and cultural experiences in the US to generate interest in travel to Africa.
“Tourism supports impactful missions of unity, progress and scale for many industries,” Mr Nwaneri said.
He said introducing American consumers to African cuisine and culture could help create demand for travel, investment and commercial partnerships on the continent.
The organisers said the Washington metropolitan region was chosen because of its concentration of embassies, international organisations, diaspora communities, businesses and transport links.
The programme will initially focus on Kenya and the Washington, D.C.-Maryland market before expanding to other parts of the US and the Caribbean.
Future activities are expected to centre on tourism and hospitality partnerships, investment exchanges, cultural promotion and links between public and private institutions.
Representatives from the embassies of Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and St Lucia attended the launch, alongside officials and business leaders from the District of Columbia and Maryland.
Those present included Dr Oye Owolewa, US Shadow Representative for the District of Columbia; Maryland Aviation Administration chief executive Shannetta Griffin; its chief marketing officer John Harvey; and Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation chief operating officer Branndon Jackson.
The event also highlighted the role of African-owned businesses in the US in promoting the continent’s tourism and cultural industries.
A four-course culinary programme featuring East and West African dishes was supported by AfriThrive Global and African-owned farms in Maryland.
