Kenya’s tourism industry received a major boost after British supermodel and businesswoman Naomi Campbell agreed to become an ambassador for the country.
The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said Campbell will help promote the marketing of Kenya as an ideal tourism and travel destination to the world.
“Supermodel Naomi Campbell has agreed to be Magical Kenya International Tourism Ambassador. She will help promote the marketing of Kenya as an ideal tourism and travel destination to the world,” a statement from the ministry read.
The agreement was made following a meeting between Campbell and the head of the ministry Najib Balala during the weekend.
“We welcome the exciting news that Naomi Campbell will advocate for tourism and travel internationally for the magical Kenya brand,” Balala said.
Local media reported that Campbell had flown into the country and went to the tourist resort town of Malindi for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Kenyan officials say the celebrity’s visit is a major boost to the tourism sector, which has been recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several hotels were forced to close down with others reducing their staff after governments introduced COVID-19 containment measures that included travel restrictions.
Campbell is among many international celebrities who love the resort town of Malindi and was in the town in 2018 for a photo shoot of an international magazine.
The east African nation is keen to rebuild trust and confidence among both foreign and domestic travelers and hence increase and sustain demand for holidays and investment in Kenya as a tourist destination.
The government says the tourism sector experienced a loss of revenue of 74 percent in direct international tourism receipts for 2020 translating to 37 billion shillings (337 million US dollars) loss against projected revenue of 1.35 billion dollars for the review period.