MARKETING INFORMATION
Welcome Home:
Developing Propositions
In Expanding Market
Space In Africa
By Isaac T. Ngatia
D
uring the swearing-in ceremony to
the first term of government, the
deputy president, Hon. William
Ruto made a comment on the tourism
market. He said “… the tourist product
we have in Kenya, is the best anywhere in
the world. It is only in Kenya, out of all
the nations of the world, that we have the
cradle of mankind; right here i n Turkana,
where the earliest remains of man, have
been discovered. Nations, people, whether
they come from Asia, whether they come
from America, or Europe, when they
come to Kenya, because this is where we
all began, we can go to the airport and
tell them, welcome home; because this is
where humanity began”.
At the time, this may have sounded
a political nice-to make statement. A
review of events and trends over the last
years shows this could be one of Kenya’s
greatest tag line. A line that would
resonate both locally and at international
markets. Kenyans are all familiar with
the line “Karibu Nyumbani”, be it in
the neighbourhood, friends visiting each
other and so forth. So, at a local level, this
is a tagline that just rings bell across all
neighbourhoods.
Why am I dwelling on this issue? As
Africa opens, markets will need to
develop unique propositions to ensure
they are sufficiently differentiated even as
the continent seeks a common front.
Some of the driving factors towards
opening the Africa markets include the
launch of Single African Air Transport
Market (SAATM) initiative in early
2018; the easing of visa requirements
by various governments; increased
penetration of internet services, among
others. The most recent is the African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Wildlife is a common theme - implying Safari can
soon be a common offer, no longer a competi-
tive advantage. Destinations such as Cameroon
and even Sudan can place a Safari advert just as
players like Kenya or Tanzania would.
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As Africa opens, mar-
kets will need to devel-
op unique propositions
to ensure they are suf-
ficiently differentiated
even as the continent
seeks a common front.
All these initiatives are helping to break
the barriers that hindered travel, business,
education and cultural exchanges across
the continent.
During the recent World Government
Summit in Dubai, Becky Anderson of
CNN asked Maurice Lévy of Publicis
Groupe on how to brand a new nation.
According to Maurice, this could be
complicated with absence of a national
history. However, it could also be simpler
due to limitless possibilities.
Hence, as African nations open their
boundaries, visitors will be looking for
unique experiences (can I add, positive
ones) as they explore the continent. The
trajectory of the intra-Africa travel will
only be determined once the people start
providing feedback. The diversity is wide