By Caroline Katana
The travel and Tourism industry directly contributes about 3.6 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 10.3 percent indirectly.
As one of the biggest contributors to the global GDP, this industry directly employs nearly 77 million people worldwide, which comprises about 3 percent of the world’s total employment.
It indirectly creates employment for 234 million people translating to 8.7 percent of the total employment, implying that one in every twelve jobs in the world is in the tourism industry.
The industry also represents about 12 percent of the total world exports.
Global market trends indicate that long-haul travel, neighboring country tourism, rural and ethnic tourism, wellness and health holidays, cultural tourism, spiritualism, ecotourism, sports and adventure holidays, and coastal tourism and cruises are a few emerging areas of tourist interest.
According to the World Tourism Organization rankings, before the Russia–Ukraine war, Ukraine occupied 8th place in Europe in terms of the number of visiting tourists.
Ukraine has numerous tourist attractions, mountain ranges suitable for skiing, hiking, and fishing, the black sea coastline as a popular summer destination, nature reserves of different ecosystems, churches, castle ruins, and other architectural and park landmarks, various outdoor activity points, Kyiv Lviv, Odesa and Kamyanets –Podilsk Yi were Ukraine’s principal tourist centers each offering many historical landmarks as well as formidable hospitality infrastructure.
Kenya is a land of diverse and vibrant attractions, offering an incredible tapestry of experiences for every traveler, from the iconic national parks teeming with wildlife, including the big 5, and the awe-inspiring great migration to the pristine beaches of the Indian Ocean and bustling energy of its cities, Kenya has it all.
Kenya recognized Ukraine as an independent country on March 5, 1993, and diplomatic relations were established on the same day after Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko was elected.
The Ukraine embassy was opened in 2004 and it is also accredited in Tanzania.
Kenya is a leader in trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of East Africa, according to the state statistics services of Ukraine, the volume of bilateral trade in goods between Ukraine and Kenya in 2021 amounted to 214.78 million USD.
Despite the Russo–Ukraine war, the relationship between Kenya and Ukraine remains strong, Kenya is expecting to receive more tourists from Ukraine following the Ukrainian tourism agents visiting various Kenya tourism attractions to learn more about wildlife conservation and sell the products in Ukraine.
Ukraine tour regulator and organizer of familiarization trip for Ukraine agents Elena KalyniakÂ
Speaking during a wildlife training in Diani, Kenya, Ukrainian tour regulator and organizer of familiarization trip for Ukrainian Agents Elena Kalyniak said the seven days Ukrainian tourist agents tour aims at documenting the fascinating tourist attractions like the national parks and reserves, marine reserves, mountains, and beaches sell the product in Ukraine as a way of promoting Kenya tourism sector.
“Kenya is a tourism destination, for you can combine wildlife, nature, and resorts at the Indian Ocean, if I compare Kenya and Tanzania, I choose Kenya because it is more comfortable because there is much support from wildlife operators, hoteliers, and service providers, so it is so easy to sell Kenya,” said Elena.
Elena affirmed Amboseli Park is popular in Ukraine due to its attractive features like the Masai Mara and Kilimanjaro’s majestic backdrop.
“We have already visited Naivasha Hells Gate, Tsavo East, and West but the well-known attraction in Ukraine is Amboseli where nature’s grandeur unfolds before your eyes, but we are going to sell all tourist destinations in Ukraine,” said Elena.
Elena noted that Kenya is a hostable country compared to other countries in Africa, especially in matters of e-visa to Kenya.
“Kenya is an affordable, pocket-friendly place where every client can afford to visit Kenya especially when compared with any other destination in Africa Kenya still takes the lead,” added Elena.
Ukraine consulate in Kenya Oleski Sierkou
Ukraine consulate in Kenya Oleski Sierkou said Ukraine has been implementing a charity program in Kenya, and over 5000 Ukrainians visit Kenya every year even during the Covid -19 pandemic but since the Russia –Ukraine war the numbers have decreased to around 1000 tourists per month according to the statistics by Kenya tourism board.
“Many Ukrainians wish to visit Kenya but because of the current situation in Ukraine many people cannot travel, Ukraine has been supporting Kenya with food security through the “Grain from Ukraine Humanitarian Program,” said Consulate Sierkou.
The consulate Sierkou affirmed that despite the Russo–Ukraine war, Ukraine over the 6 months of 2024, Ukraine’s tourism industry showed significant growth compared to the pre-war year 2021.
According to the State Agency for Tourism Development, tax revenues from the tourism sector increased by a quarter compared to 2021, reaching UAH 1.251 billion.
“Despite the war, tour operators in Ukraine are doing their best, promoting Kenya, making show rounds, and business breakfasts for Ukrainian tour agents and tourists. Ukraine remains open to tourists and many regions welcome visitors,” noted the Consulate.
Ukrainian tourism student Ivan PelikhÂ
A Ukrainian tourism student Ivan Pelikh promised to promote Kenya’s tourism destination after visiting various tourist attractions.
“ I have been reading about Kenya tourism destination in journals but today I can admit to the beautiful wild animals Kenya has, I want to thank my parents for this amazing trip and I promise to come back to Kenya for picnics with Ukrainian friends, it was nice seeing tigers, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and monkeys “, said Pelikh.
A Ukrainian tour agent Maria Khelemska expressed her love to Kenya due to its attractive features promising to sell tourism products to Ukraine so as to promote Kenya’s tourism industry.
“ The visit was super nice, we had a lot of interesting experiences, and of course, I love Kenya because it’s very colorful, cool, has good weather, nice animals and every aspect is good here, I will come back because I feel like I need two to three terms here,” noted Maria.
Maria affirmed Kenya and Ukraine have different national parks.
Ukrainian tour agent Maria KhelemskaÂ
“Wildlife in Ukraine is a little bit different from Kenya, we don’t have such national parks, we have different animals foxes, wolves, and of course no lions, elephants, monkeys yet these animals are very interesting for children, each of us used to see the animals on television but now I saw the animals live this is very interesting and it speaks volume, every morning waking up and saw giraffes and monkeys picking up food from the table and opening windows is very amazing,” said Maria.
Kenya Wildlife Services senior principal marketing officer Alex Mathenge Matimu said Kenya has set out priority ambitions for both recovery and growth of the tourism sector.
“Kenya is becoming an all-year-round tourism destination, creating new and more diverse customer experiences and products, building a refreshed brand image and repositioning Kenya as an upmarket, sustainable destination, and developing enablers including unlocking alternative and innovative sources of funding and optimizing the adoption of digital innovations and new technologies by the sector,” said Matimu.
Matimu noted that the strategy includes Branding, Marketing, Experiences, and Enablers – and nine initiatives, including brand repositioning, developing new and existing international source markets, scaling the domestic tourism market, developing a new and improved experience in parks and reserves, strengthening coastal beach tourism, creating and promoting niche experiences, and developing enablers for the sector such as digital systems, sustainability standards, and improved sector financing.
Matimu also reiterated that Ukraine is among the countries targeted by Kenya in tourism marketing.
KWS senior principal marketing officer Alex Mathenge MatimuÂ
“Kenya is trying to sell tourism products globally and Ukraine is one of the nations targeted because of their interest in photography documentation, wildlife safaris, and their zeal for wild animals,” said Matimu.
Matimu said in 2023 Kenya received foreign tourists approximately 700,000 while 1.3 million domestic tourists visited national parks.
“ We are encouraging the Ukrainians to package Kenya well so as to promote our economy through the tourism sector, also we encourage our domestic tourists to visit our tourism sites, we have enough attractions so let us not rely on international tourists,” said Matimu.
Kenya has 24 national parks, 29 national reserves, 4 marine parks and 6 marine reserves.
