Safaris began in the African nation
IAN STALKER
The Kenya Tourism Board wants this country’s travel agents to send their clients on safaris in the home of the safari.
Tourism officials told a recent Toronto audience that the country’s numerous national parks and nature reserves provide easy sightings of the likes of lions, zebras, elephants and other creatures.
“Everywhere you go you’re going to see wildlife,” the board’s Luke Jones told the Toronto gathering.
Zablon Mwangi, the tourism board’s marketing officer, in turn said “Kenya is the home of the original safari,” with safari meaning trip in Swahili, a language spoken in Kenya and other regional countries.
It’s also known for sharing the Great Migration, a seasonal move of over a million wildebeest, zebras and other creatures, with some wildebeest travelling up to 1,000 kilometres.
Mwangi noted his country has different types of landscapes, including rainforest and “untouched” coastal areas.
The country is also home to Mount Kenya, which reaches 5,199 meters and is the second-highest mountain in Africa.
He added that his country’s ethnic diversity makes it a culturally interesting part of the world.
The capital of Nairobi lies next to Nairobi National Park, which is home to the likes of endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife, with over 400 species recorded.
Other Nairobi features include the Karen Blixen Museum, with Danish expatriate Blixen famed for her book Out of Africa, in which she expressed her love for Kenya. Coffee farms can also be seen.
Meanwhile, Anthony Brinn, Kenya Airways commercial manager for the Americas, noted his airline now has daily, non-stop service from New York’s JFK Airport to Nairobi, with the frequency rising to nine weekly flights from June 15 to Sept. 15, after which it returns to daily.
Kenya Airways’ network reaches throughout Africa and also points in Europe and Asia as well. The SkyTeam carrier has Economy and Business Class service.
“I’ve always found in my career when the passengers get on the home country carrier, they start to experience the destination as soon as they get on board,” Brinn said, citing the likes of onboard meals that feature Kenyan influences.
Brinn praised Kenya as a “unique destination” that’s focused on conservation, noting that it’s banned trophy hunting.
Jeffrey Lewis-Matthews of Toronto’s The New Era Travel Advisors said he was impressed by the presentation, and would love to visit the country. “Point me to the airport,” he said.
