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Monday, 22 April, 2019, 18 : 00 PM [IST]
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‘MICE travel from India to Kenya can grow multi-fold if the yellow fever requirement is removed’
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Kenya-based DMC Safari Trails is promoting its luxury camp in the
heart of Masai Mara National Reserve in the Indian market alongside
offering seat in coach tours on its 4x4 safari vehicles. Moreover, to
further strengthen its foothold, the company has appointed THS
Representations as its representative in India and plans to conduct
multi-city roadshows later this year along with partners. Rajay Thethy,
Marketing Director, Safari Trails, spoke to Disha Shah Ghosh about the
East Africa opportunity for the discerning Indian traveller.
Q In the decade-long presence of Safari
Trails in India, how has the market
evolved?
We ventured into India in 2008 having
recognised its position as an emerging
inbound source market, and have grown
gradually since then. When we came here,
India was among the top 50 markets for
Kenya, and today it ranks among the top
5. Safari Trails has a strong presence in the
GCC countries, Australia and South East
Asia. Together with Kenya Tourism Board we
have created awareness about the country in
India.
Well travelled and researched Indians are
looking for a new experience, and Kenya and
East Africa perfectly fit the bill. We promote
Kenya, Tanzania and East Africa as authentic
safari destinations. In fact, Safari Trails is a
one-stop shop for Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,
Rwanda and the Indian Ocean islands.
From India, we see huge influx from
Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru (especially
wildlife enthusiasts for photography), as
well as Pune, and a little bit from Chennai.
We have seen some traction from the Tier-II
cities like Chandigarh and Nagpur as well
and good MICE movements from pan India.
Q Enlist a few challenges that you face
in India.
An important area of concern for us is
product knowledge, along with problem
of perception. Kenya is an all year-round
destination. Due to the proximity to the
equator and high-altitude location, Kenya
enjoys pleasant climate all year round. The
country has a good infrastructure and Indian
meals are easily available.
The biggest challenge for us is that the
Indian government hasn’t reviewed the
mandatory yellow fever vaccination for travel
to Kenya, and it is a very big hurdle for us.
The last reported case of yellow fever in
Kenya was in the 1950s in a remote part of the
country. It is only the Indian government that
requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
We get clients from US, Canada, Australia
and Europe, who don’t require a yellow
fever vaccination certificate. With Nairobi
being the gateway to East Africa, everyone
coming from India needs this certificate.
We have tried to address this issue with our
government. However, the Kenya Ministry of
Health has to engage with their counterparts
in India along with the WHO to assess the
situation. It is a long-drawn diplomatic
process. Maybe, the Indian government can
change the requirement from mandatory
to advisory, because it is really killing the
tourism business, especially MICE. This is at
a time when corporate entities in India are
looking for new destinations.
We see a big rise in MICE travel to East
Africa. We have handled 7 MICE groups
from pharmaceutical, motor, fashion,
insurance, banking, IT, etc. from India in
the last year. This is because Kenya and
Tanzania offer visa on arrival. MICE travel
from India can grow multi-fold if the yellow
fever requirement for Kenya is removed.
Q What is your strategy in India for
2019-2020?
THS Representations has started
representing us in India from April 1 and
will undertake product knowledge and
trainings. We have known Tasneem for many
years, and she has a good network of agents
in India, and people associate her with the
African product. Together with THS, we
will come with our partner hotels, tourism
board and airlines to organise roadshows in
Ahemdabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and
Kolkata during September. Moreover, we
are going to get the Kenya Tourism Board to
partner with us for certified trainings for front
line staff after imparting product trainings.
Q What kind of product enhancements
have been undertaken at Safari
Trails?
We own our fleet of 4x4 vehicles. These
cars have been specially fabricated for
the rugged terrain of the jungles with
ample leg space. We tailor made them
for our specifications with a specialised
suspension. We offer WiFi on board and a
fridge with refreshments. Our motto is the
key ingredient for a good safari is a good
vehicle and a good guide.
Moreover, we now have our own camp in
the Masai Mara, Enaidura Luxury Camp. It
is in the heart of Masai Mara and has been
introduced in India. This is an apt product
for safari purists to see the migration and
witness the Big 5. The camp is rustic, bare
foot luxury, exactly how safaris were done
in the 1920s. It is very secure, because we
have the Masai people looking after the
camp, and each tent has a private guard.
Q Which are some of your key segments
of focus in India?
We are promoting destination weddings
in India for Mombasa, Samburu and Sabo
National Parks. There are big resorts in
Mombasa, and Kenya has beaches, dhow
cruises, as well as venues for sundowners.
Our focus in India is leisure, MICE and
Indian weddings. We are promoting a
combination of beach and bush for MICE
travellers. There is a new train from Nairobi
and Mombasa, guests can do a 2-nights stay
in Savo and then move on to Mombasa for
nightlife and water sport activities.
Besides high-end traffic, we also cater
to budget travellers. We have introduced
seat in coach facility for our 4X vehicles at
competitive rates starting from a 5-night
safari at USD 590 per person, all inclusive in
four-star properties.
disha.shah@saffronsynergies.in
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