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Kenya: Sector Launches E-Tourism Training
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Business Daily (Nairobi)
14 May 2008
Posted to the web 14 May 2008
Wangui Maina
Stakeholders in the tourism industry will be trained on information communication technology.
The training is part of an initiative by the sector to enhance communication during troubled times such as the post- election violence earlier in the year.
The programme aims to raise the country's profile in key markets through the internet.
A pilot scheme was done by a tourism crisis management team at the height of the post election violence. The team used the internet to send out messages to various players abroad on the situation in local tourism circuits.
Damian Cook, the managing director of E-Tourism Africa and one of the leading trainers at the seminar, said the training would look at how the country managed information during the crisis and draw lessons to improve the flow of data in the sector as well as look at opportunities of rebuilding destinations online.
"With the onset of the Internet, information is produced from everywhere. What we have to do is ensure we manage the right information getting to our customers," he added.
Other countries have been able to manage information through the Internet, especially following a crisis.
The training will look at some case studies on how other destinations have handled communication during turbulent times, like the US following the 9/11 terrorist attack, Asian countries during the bird flu outbreak, and Indonesia after a tsunami hit the tourist island of Bali.
By bringing stakeholders together, organisers of the seminar also hope to develop online tourism in the county. E-tourism has grown to be a major tool in the industry as most travellers log online to get travel information and make their bookings.
In some markets this has replaced traditional methods of marketing like brochures and newsletters.
Speaking during the announcement of the seminar, Tourism Trust Fund (TTF) chief executive officer, Dan Kagagi, said that firms that do not move their businesses to the Internet were doomed.
Dr Kagagi said that the country stood to lose potential business if marketing activities were not focused on the Internet.
Statistics show that the Internet has replaced traditional destination marketing tools, becoming the largest source of both information and direct sales of travel.
Previously, this was done through direct contact with travel or tour operators whose role is fast changing.
Statistics show that the e-travel market has developed in the last 10 years with online sales accounting for about 20 per cent of the global retail travel sector as of 2006. This is expected to continue growing.
"Players have to realise the effectiveness of e-marketing and how they can use their websites to get news on destinations, thus managing information going to clients," Dr Kagagi said.
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The three-day seminar, to be held at a Nairobi hotel from June 3, will be facilitated by various international experts.
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