The 4th East Africa e-tourism conference is now confirmed as scheduled to take place on the 9th and 10th June in Nairobi, Kenya.
This year’s conference will bring together some of the world’s leading experts on online tourism including
- Trip Advisor
- Expedia
- and for the first time in Kenya, Facebook
Others scheduled to present include:
- Lobster Ink- Interactive Tourism Training
- WildAfrica Live- Winner of the Best African Travel App 2013
- Springnest- Simplified Web and Social Media Management tools for Tourism
- Nightsbridge & Activitybridge Online Reservations
- East African Tourism Platform
- Building your Social Media Toolbox seminar
The Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) and the Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi are the lead sponsors for the conference.
“With over 59% of travel now being researched, booked and bought online and with online tourism sales set to double to over US 400 Billion US Dollars by the end of the year, it is critical that tourism players in the sector make better use of the internet and social media to market and manage their destinations and businesses.” emphasized Mr. Damian Cook, CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers. “With figures like these, it is clear that online is now the arena of choice for travel sales, but we need to look at how we can also use technology to build growth in challenging markets and make our industry more sustainable. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are vital tools when researching travel. However only a small number of East African Tourism companies are really accessing and using these tools to their full potential. The conference will include training sessions designed to show them how to do this.”
Mr Muriithi Ndegwa, the MD at the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), termed the conference as a huge endorsement to Kenya as a destination.
“Its great that Kenya has the opportunity to host the E-Tourism East African Conference, the conference will give the tourism sector the opportunity to re-connect and learn about the latest online tourism and travel developments and technologies. The role of online is imperative for the growth and success of our tourism sector,” he said
“Online bookings are increasing and we want to keep abreast of the trends. We are delighted to be hosting this year’s E-Tourism East Africa Conference which will give our local tourism sector much needed information and insight from international online travel experts”. commented the Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi Regional General Manager, Mr. Karl Hala.
You can register for the event here.
