Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has partnered with Facebook to launch a digital marketing programme for Kenyan SMB’s in the tourism and hospitality sector affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dubbed Boost with Facebook for the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the programme is designed to help thousands of tourism stakeholders use the Facebook family of apps (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) to boost their businesses’ marketing efforts during these uncertain times.
Speaking during the launch of the programme, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Hon. Najib Balala said, “Boost with Facebook for the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife coincides with our efforts at the Ministry to work with industry stakeholders to review the existing National Tourism Policies to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
Balala urged all tourism stakeholders and SMBs to equip themselves with the necessary digital marketing skills to help them to quickly recover from losses incurred due the Coronavirus pandemic.
The programme will feature webinar sessions led by Facebook’s implementing partner Wylde International in association with the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) and the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).
The programme will enable its participants identify business constraints caused by COVID-19, learn how to manage stranded assets and develop new strategies and business initiatives to survive the pandemic. The programme will also equip SMB’s with skills on building an online presence with Facebook, storytelling on Instagram, connecting with audiences through Facebook groups, growing business through Whatsapp and implementing advertising strategies on Facebook’s family of apps.
Commenting on the launch, Facebook Head of Public Policy East & Horn of Africa Mercy Ndegwa said, “We are excited about the launch of Boost with Facebook for the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. At Facebook we know that small and medium businesses in Kenya may be experiencing unexpected challenges during the outbreak of COVID-19 and we’re committed to providing as much support as possible. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and pillars of their local communities and this programme is designed to help SMBs in the tourism sector boost their businesses through Facebook during these challenging times.”
The programme will include a triage assessment of the diverse businesses in the sector and from which participants will get personalized feedback on the status of their business and how they can use digital marketing strategies to upscale their businesses in the wake of the pandemic.
The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife recently released the Tourism Research Report 2020 which measured the impact of COVID-19 on the local tourism sector and which indicates an abrupt and unprecedented drop in hotel demand leading to closure of most hotels and job losses. The report warns the country could lose $320 million with declining passenger arrivals while the Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE) sub-sector which brought in Ksh. 164 billion last year is among those to lose heavily due to COVID-19.
