Business Daily (Nairobi)
Beatrice Gachenge
11 May 2008
Nairobi — The Kenya Tourist Board is set to host a celebrity fashion show that will bring together renowned African designers and models.
Designers who have showcased their wares in Milan and Paris such as Alphadi from Niger, Espace Fagueye, among others, will have their blueprints on the runway at the Nairobi National Park.
Some of the designers have dressed high profile personalities such as Nelson Mandela and Laurent Gbagbo, President of Côte d'Ivoire.
Top international models such as Ajuma, Belinda Baidoo, Ivan Pineda, and Honorine Uwera will grace the Sh5.2 million catwalk event in support of peace in Kenya on May 24.
The show is a collaboration between KTB and the Festival of African Fashion and Arts.
The event is the latest of efforts by KTB to bring in high net worth tourists into the country. During the first quarter of the year that was beset by political violence, KTB reported that the sector was sustained by domestic tourists and visitors on incentive tours and packages. Earnings for the quarter went down by over 60 per cent compared to last year.
High net worth tourists are expected to upscale the performance of the ailing industry.
Just last year, Kenya's quest to be a top-end tourism destination appeared to be bearing fruit with an exit poll on tourists leaving the country showing that more than half of them earned between $20,000 and $40,000 annually.
The fashion show will come soon after a photo shoot of 700 executives, local and international celebrities meant to promote Kenya's tourism and set for the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Last month, KTB hosted leading travel journalists during a one-week tour of leisure facilities in Kenya. There are also plans to advertise in the international media.
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