Emirates Holidays Partners With Kenya Travel Agents to Boost Outbound Tourism

Emirates Holidays has partnered with Kenya’s travel-agent industry to expand outbound tourism from the country, targeting greater sales of holiday packages to Dubai and destinations across its international network.

The tour operating arm of Emirates Airline signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), which represents more than 300 travel agencies across the country.

The agreement will give KATA members greater access to Emirates Holidays’ destination portfolio, product training and promotional opportunities, while the two organisations plan joint marketing campaigns, trade webinars and industry events.

The partnership comes after Emirates increased its Nairobi service to three daily flights in July, adding capacity between Kenya and the airline’s global network. Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ country manager in Kenya, said the additional connectivity would support efforts to expand leisure travel from the market.

“Following the launch of Emirates' third daily Nairobi service in July, we are now focused on leveraging this enhanced connectivity to stimulate leisure travel and unlock new growth opportunities,” Leloup said.

The agreement will also allow Emirates Holidays and KATA to develop targeted packages and offers for travel agencies, with Dubai identified as a primary leisure destination. Packages will also cover destinations including Bali, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, Greece, Finland, Chile, Jamaica and Australia.

For KATA, the partnership is intended to give local travel agencies access to a wider international product portfolio as demand for outbound travel develops.

Joseph Kithitu, chairman of KATA, said the agreement would help member agencies diversify their offerings and respond to changing demand among Kenyan travellers.

The memorandum was signed in Nairobi by Maitha Albutehi, business development manager for Emirates Holidays’ Africa markets, and Kithitu. Leloup and Nafisa Salim, Emirates’ sales manager for Kenya, attended the signing.

Emirates Holidays said the agreement forms part of its strategy to expand distribution and partnerships in key African markets, with the aim of increasing product awareness and supporting bookings and passenger growth across its flight and holiday offerings.

The company also sells holiday packages for international visitors travelling to Kenya, covering attractions including the country’s wildlife, coastline and cultural destinations.

Emirates began serving Nairobi in 1995 and now operates 21 weekly flights between the Kenyan capital and its wider network.

Source: FSX Business News