Some of the World Rally Championships (WRC) drivers yesterday took part in the visited the Maasai Mara tour ahead of Wednesday event.
Led by Thierry Neuville of Belgium, Elfyn Evans (France) and Nicolas Ciamin (Wales) took part in the Maasai Mara tour organized by the WRC in partnership with the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.
According to Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa, Kenya is particularly well-placed to tap into the over $6 billion motorsport industry. Kenya is looking to leverage experiential marketing to draw in more travellers by encouraging sports enthusiasts to either extend their stay after sporting events or arrive earlier to enjoy a more immersive tourism experience.
“Kenya is now strategically embracing and taking advantage of the motorsport tourism market, as evidenced by hosting this esteemed group of WRC drivers who got a taste of the magical Kenya safari experience. The influence of these personalities on motorsport fans worldwide is invaluable in promoting Kenya as a leading adventure and motorsport destination. We look forward to showcasing these unrivalled experiences to more spectators and drivers alike during the Safari Rally,” Said the PS.
The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Ababu Namwamba while flagging off the four drivers said that adventure and motorsport enthusiasts are now strongly associating Kenya with unique experiences, buoyed by the growth in events such as World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally, the East Africa Safari Classic Rally among others.
“ The Safari rally is part of our heritage and part of our plans is to ensure that Kenya benefits from hosting these key personalities. We are so keen do deploy our sports tourism agenda and to use sports as a platform to market Kenya and as a platform to welcome the world to Kenya and that’s why for us it’s an opportunity to welcome the team of elite drivers to the Mara, home to the 8th Wonder of the world, a perfect way to showcase the best of Kenya,” CS Ababu said.