The Kenya Tourist Board (KTB), in conjunction with Kenya Golf Marketing Alliance (KGMA) and the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) will launch a new golf guide, Golf in Kenya, at this year’s World Travel Market.
The guide will contain comprehensive reviews on Kenya’s 40 golf courses, including factsheets on the individual courses.
The publication is part of the overall strategy by the tourism board and associations to promote Kenya’s world-class championship golf courses combined with the world’s best safari destination.
With the sustained growth of African tourism in global markets, Kenya has emerged as a significant player in the highly competitive field of international golf tourism.
In November 2009, the International Golf Travel Writers Association awarded Kenya the prestigious title of ‘Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year’. Two years on, there are three new ‘international standard’ courses under construction on the coast and some of Nairobi’s famous courses are undergoing extensive upgrades which will be completed by 2013.
There are a range of courses for the golf enthusiast, including the infamous Fairmont Mount Kenya Golf Course which gives visitors the chance to play in the shadow of Mount Kenya,Africa’s second highest peak. The course not only offers amazing views of the mountain but the area also has an abundance of wildlife with many herds of zebra and giraffe peacefully grazing nearby, as well as the odd lion or two. Additionally, the course lies on the Equator, so guests can start their game in the northern hemisphere and end it in the southern hemisphere.
David Stogdale, Chairman of KGMA said: “No other country comes close to offering the same combination of unique wildlife, beautiful beaches, fascinating cultures, and world-class golf.Kenyais unbeatable in every single one of these categories.”
The golf guide is supported by the former World No. 1 and US Masters Champion, Ian Woosnam, who described Vipingo Ridge, a 2,500-acre residential golf estate 30km north of Mombasa, as “one of the most beautiful coastal courses anywhere in the world.”
The current promotion strategy aims to double the number of golf tourists visiting Kenya by the end of 2013.
Golf in Kenya www.magicalkenya.com