Nairobi — Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Friday renewed its partnership with World Marathon Record Holder Eliud Kipchoge as the Magical Kenya Ambassador.
The partnership is part of the continued efforts by the Board to leverage Kenya's status as a global sporting powerhouse to market the destination to the world.
Eliud was first signed as Kenya's tourism ambassador in 2020, a partnership that saw the champion promote Kenya as a preferred tourism destination locally, regionally, and internationally through various campaigns.
Speaking during the announcement at an event held at Karura Forest Eliud Kipchoge said that he was honored to renew his partnership with Magical Kenya as its destination ambassador, noting that his love for Kenya made the engagement fulfilling to him.
"I am very delighted to renew this partnership with Magical Kenya which has now become my family. It is such a great honor to be given the responsibility to represent my country as its Tourism Ambassador. I have enjoyed this role which has also made me learn a lot about Kenya. for instance, in 2020, I was able to witness the great wildebeest migration, today I am at Karura forest which is an important conservation ecosystem in Kenya. I hope that I can continue to serve my country in this role and also raise awareness of conservation and the beauty of Kenya." said Kipchoge
Kipchoge added that the industry had suffered a lot during the covid -19 pandemic and therefore required support from all Kenyans, especially during this time when it is looking forward to a comeback.
Tourism and Wildlife CS Najib Balala says that the partnership will not only focus on destination marketing but also on showcasing the country's conservation efforts to the world;
"Our journey with Eliud Kipchoge as destination ambassador commenced in 2020 right after the Covid-19 pandemic was recorded in the country. Eliud's contributions to the country over the years have been important in ensuring that Magical Kenya is recognizable across the world. His role as destination ambassador has been important, especially during the period when there was less travel, he helped in creating awareness about the destination as well as marketing and showcasing Magical Kenya to the world," Balala said.
"Today we kick-start the second phase of the partnership which will focus on conservation awareness as well as showcasing Kenya's different offerings and different circuits that the world should know. Eliud's global profile, patriotism, passion for the destination, and conservation make him the ideal ambassador for Kenya and we hope that we can achieve this going forward."
Principal Secretary state department for tourism Zeinab Hussein says; – "I take this opportunity to thank Eliud for taking up the role, Eliud interfaces well between the local and international market which is important for the destination. We want to ensure that we arouse the interest of travelers from across the world. "said the PS
This second phase will see Eliud visit more circuits to promote the destination as well as grace key Magical Kenya events that will give him an opportunity to get an interface with key stakeholders as well as enhance his influence to grow the sector. Eliud is passionate about conservation and fits into the sector's agenda ahead of the implementation of the Cop26 declarations focused in mitigating climate change
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