NAIROBI,—WORLD’S leading experts in information and technology (IT), and online tourism specialists, are attending a two-day E-Tourism Africa conference in the Kenyan capital–Nairobi.
The participants are drawn from Johannesburg Tourism Company, Visa International, Expedia, Microsoft, Google, Digital Visitor, Trip Advisor, Eviivo, New Mindand WAYN (Where Are You Now?). They will hold discussions with over 250 delegates on new technology currently available.
The experts are also expected to address the delegates, who come from countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa and hosts Kenya, on the need to embrace the use of technology, especially in tourism.
Marketing and e-commerce solutions, the best use of social networking, the implications of blogging and the importance of user-generated content and online video for the travel trade, are some of the issues that will be explored at the conference jointly sponsored by Kenya’s mobile telephone provider, Safaricom, Microsoft and Visa International.
E-Tourism Africa is a pan-African initiative to assist the continent’s tourism sector to better understand the Internet and the range of online marketing opportunities now available.
A study conducted by E-Tourism Africa reveals that over 70 percent of young professionals rely on the Internet to research and also to book their holidays.
Another poll conducted by young UK travellers showed an 89 percent preference for online bookings. Some of the world’s major airlines have moved from paper ticketing to the electronic version, a development that has proved popular in the tourism industry.
In an interview with CAJ News, Safaricom chief executive officer, Michael Joseph, said there were unlimited online opportunities available which could well be utilised.
“Safaricom is keen to be involved in promoting e-tourism given the platform we offer in mobile office technology and telecommunications. We want to facilitate communication in tourism sector, where operators can communicate more efficiently and effectively with their customers,” said Joseph.
Both Safaricom and Microsoft said in view of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa, e-tourism and IT would play a major role in connecting Africa to the rest of the world and urged the tourism sector in Africa to boost its online presence.
Erick Basha, tourism industry managing director of Microsoft, said travel was now the number one selling commodity online and was generating over US$100 billion annually in sales.
He however, regretted that little African tourism was sold online, making it difficult to secure bookings of African destinations using the facility.
“Microsoft is committed to working with its partners and governments in Africa to help provide technology tools necessary for those in the tourism sector to do business online, especially small and independent travel suppliers,” said Basha.
He added that it was Microsoft’s hope that at the end of the two-day conference, participants would be provided with the inspiration, motivation and training necessary to get online e-tourism going in their areas of operation.
