Kenya Tourist Board to use high-profile athletes as ambassadors

(eTN) – It was learned yesterday evening from regular sources in Nairobi that the Kenya Tourist Board was finalizing plans to turn their globally-known and acclaimed distance runners into tourism ambassadors, when they travel abroad to participate in competitions.

With the full athletics season now going underway in Europe and America, many of these high-profile individuals celebrate their victories by carrying the Kenyan flag high, and the Kenya Tourist Board is finally turning this into a competitive advantage when marketing the country abroad. Brand marketing, especially when a major rebranding is taking place, as has for instance happened over the past year-and-a-half in the Seychelles, can have a huge positive impact on promoting a tourism destination in a hotly-contested market as East Africa is and when supported by, as is the case here, globally-known World and Olympic champions the impact on the often hundreds of millions of viewers of such events on television is bound to develop an interest to come and visit the home countries of such sports women and men.

The Kenya Tourist Board is said to be in discussions with the Kenyan athletics federation and also the Kenyan Olympic Committee to bring the teams and individual athletes on their side to help promote their country abroad, and it is expected that in particular ahead and during the London 2012 Olympic Games, the next World Athletics Championship and key international events in Europe this summer, the Kenyan flag will fly not only high but also for the purpose of promoting “Brand Kenya” abroad.