PRESS RELEASE

Travel Club to Bring Discounts to Domestic Tourists

Kenyan and East African residents have long been annoyed by the fact they at times pay considerably more than foreign tourists for their holidays in Kenya. In fact, the Kenya Tourism Board has reported that UK tourists visiting Mombasa may pay as much as 50% less than locals for the same hotel. Though conspiracy theorists may believe otherwise, the reason for this is that foreign tourists usually buy through travel aggregators who deliver numbers to the hotels and in turn are able to negotiate substantial discounts.

The Africa Point Travel Club seeks to level the playing field for local travelers by pulling them together and using their joint buying power to get the very best rates. With so many local tourists talking in one voice the hotels will be very keen to talk good prices. Membership for those who qualify is free.

The Africa Point Travel Club has already partnered with several hotels, lodges, resorts and cottages to make it possible for East African residents to enjoy the same or better rates as foreign tourists. The growing list of partners include Serena Hotels, Sarova Hotels, Severin Sea Lodge, Kenya Wildlife Service, Fly540 airline, Heritage Hotels, Sun n Sand, Drift Wood Beach Club, Aberdare Hotels and numerous cottages and villas in Naivasha, the Coast and other parts of the the country.

According to Christine Khasina-Odero, Africa Point’s marketing manager, the Travel Club will offer a total travel solution for its members. ”We are fighting in the corner of our members for good prices. But this is not all. Members of the Africa Point Travel Club have access to the expertise of our highly trained and well traveled staff who will advice on the best value offers to suit individual or group interest.”

“There are many hotels with local offers, but they of course restrict you to their properties. But club members have the advantage of choice and better prices they would be unable to negotiate for themselves. In addition, they are allowed easy part payments.”

The travel club has found support outside the travel industry and Africa Point is working with Barclaycard Africa, AAR, MamaMikes.com, Standard Chartered Bank’s Diva Club and other players in Kenya’s’ business world.

Andrew Muigai Africa Point’s managing director says: “We are in business here in the long term, and we are seeking fair prices that both our members and the hotels and other travel providers can live with. This is unlike some charter operators who abuse their buying power and drive down prices in a destination and then abandon it as standards inevitably drop.”

“We want the hotels to remain in business, as our members are overwhelming travel local. That why we have found so much support among hotel operators, villa and cottage owners in Kenya.”

In addition travel industry players, after Kenya’s recent political troubles and the subsequent dip in foreign arrivals appreciate the need to give incentives to local travelers for the stability of the tourism sector. Says Peter Waweru of Sarova Hotels “South Africa’s travel industry, which depends upto 60% on local travel is by far more stable than Kenya’s. The growth of local tourism in Kenya has in recent years been impressive- rising from about 5% of total a few years ago to about 30% last year. Bearing in mind the hundreds of thousands of direct jobs, and extensive linkages that tourism has with other business sectors, we need to do everything possible to encourage local tourists.”

To register for free, visit Africa Point

Photos

Marketing manager KWS(left) and KTB chairman during the launch

Fly 540 Marketing Manager

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 12:35 pm and is filed under Press Release. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.