1. Text: | Print|

      Uncovering the uniqueness of Kenya

      2014-10-27 13:32 China Daily Web Editor: Wang Fan
      1
      Tour groups observe animal migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which takes place from July to October. [Provided to China Daily]

      Tour groups observe animal migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which takes place from July to October. [Provided to China Daily]

      Cultural exchange platforms play vital role in bilateral relations

      When Zhang Yuanxiang made his first trip to Kenya, in 1999 to work as an interpreter for a trading company, hotel receptionists asked him if he was from Japan, South Korea, China's Taiwan or Hong Kong regions. He quickly realized that cultural exchanges and communication between Chinese mainland and the East African country were "empty".

      "No one even knew where Beijingwas," he says.

      Conversely, Maasai Mara - the massive game reserve in Kenya's Narok county named after the Masai people - was a difficult, strange name to pronounce for Chinese tourists traveling with him.

      At the time, there was little information about Kenya in China, let alone direct flights to the country.

      But his experiences during that trip, in which he traveled through the African Savanna, sparked a newfound fondness for the wilderness and for nature in Zhang. He says he remembered feeling that this region of wonders must be seen and experienced by more Chinese people, which eventually led to his creation of Kenya China Travel &Tours Ltd in 2003. KCTT is currently a leading tour company for Chinese tourists to Kenya.

      Zhang believes it is essential that tour companies serving Chinese tourists going to Kenya or elsewhere in Africa not only provide a place for travelers to eat, sleep and for sightseeing, but create a cultural exchange platform to experience a region's uniqueness and spirit.

      He says a well-rounded tour company is increasingly important as China and Kenya develop their bilateral ties because each nation doesn't fully understand each other culturally.

      "Traveling to a new destination like Kenya will give Chinese tourists a chance to explore a new culture, which will be different from their initial impressions of the country. Also, Kenyans can see what Chinese culture is like," says Zhang, who addsthat all people involved in this exchange chain are ambassadors for their culture.

      KCTT served more than 8,000 Chinese customers last year. Though Zhang is expecting better numbers this year, the Ebola epidemic has hampered tourism to Kenya. Still, he is thankful that his company is moderately successful.

      "Despite huge potential, my tourism business couldn't have happened without the help from the Chinese embassy (in Kenya) because it encouraged me to introduce more Chinese tourists to the country," he says. "The business environment and security situation at the time were not that helpful to the tourism industry, so I initially hesitated a lot to start my business."

      Tourism in Kenya is an economic pillar in the country, contributing more than 12 percent to the country's annual GDP. China currently supplies 3 percent of the total number of foreign visitors to Kenya.

      Between 2003 and 2004, tourism was mainly tuned into and driven by business and official delegations, which packaged Kenya as a complementary destination to Egypt and South Africa.

      "It was hard at the beginning," Zhang says in describing the evolution of his company. "I had to talk to all of the hotels and car rental companies by myself to have a clear concept of the Kenyan market. Simply put, all of the old companies had been established for Western tourists, and their experiences were not relevant to us."

      After his business began improving, China and Kenya signed an agreement to make Kenya an approved tourist destination, which created more growth potential for Zhang's company. The agreement allowed Chinese tourists to visit Kenya in tour groups organized by commercial companies.

      Comments (0)
      Most popular in 24h
        Archived Content
      Media partners:

      Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

      主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲国产午夜中文字幕精品黄网站| 成年轻人网站色免费看| 国产成人亚洲精品91专区手机| 亚洲国产成人在线视频| 一区二区三区在线免费看| 亚洲精品一品区二品区三品区| 国产精品亚洲综合天堂夜夜| 一个人免费观看视频www | 亚洲av无码乱码国产精品| 成全在线观看免费观看大全| 色久悠悠婷婷综合在线亚洲| 成人无码精品1区2区3区免费看| 老司机亚洲精品影视www| 二个人看的www免费视频| 久久青青草原亚洲AV无码麻豆| 2021在线观看视频精品免费| 亚洲人成免费网站| 日韩a在线观看免费观看| 免费国产污网站在线观看不要卡| 亚洲偷自拍拍综合网| 大地资源网高清在线观看免费| 亚洲一区二区在线视频| 真人做A免费观看| 亚洲AV网一区二区三区| 亚洲午夜激情视频| 99热这里有免费国产精品| 亚洲男人天堂2022| 亚洲?V无码乱码国产精品| 欧洲人成在线免费| 亚洲依依成人亚洲社区| 亚洲精品成人在线| 中文字幕视频免费| 老子影院午夜伦不卡亚洲| 亚洲精品无码久久久影院相关影片| 在线a免费观看最新网站| 狠狠色伊人亚洲综合网站色| 亚洲综合色视频在线观看| 91精品成人免费国产片| 无码一区二区三区亚洲人妻| 亚洲一区综合在线播放| 国产成人免费A在线视频|