Kenya travel agents eye China business trips to boost revenues

NAIROBI - Kenya's travel agents are increasingly turning to outbound business trips to China in a bid to boost their revenues, officials said on Monday.

Mohammed Wanyoike, Chairman of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), told Xinhua in Nairobi, that travel agents are developing tour packages for the business community who are seeking to procure goods from China.

"Business trips to China are now a significant part of our industry revenues as China becomes an attractive destination for traders seeking to purchase manufactured products at affordable costs," he said.

Wanyoike said that most of the traders head to Guangzhou which is a commercial city located in southern China.

He said that Guangzhou is popular destination because it is home to many factories that produce goods with high demand in Kenya.

The KATA chairman said that Kenya's booming real estate sector has increased demand for imports for construction material.

"We are also seeing more building professionals going to China for short terms courses in order to gain the latest technology in the construction sector," he added.

Wanyoike said that in order to further enhance their revenues they will embark on sensitization campaign to increase awareness of China as a tourism destination.

"We want more Kenyans to visit and explore Chinese rich cultural heritage," he said.