The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and the Standard Chartered Marathon have signed a partnership aimed that will enhance the marathon’s global standing.
The strategic collaboration will serve as a catalyst to draw marathon runners and fans to the marathon for the next 3 years beginning from this year’s October 27th, 2024.
Speaking during the announcement of the partnership, KTB CEO June Chepkemei stated that Kenya’s marathon events serve as the perfect vehicle for showcasing the magic of Kenya to the world.
“We are truly honored to partner with Stanchart Nairobi Marathon. There is no better way of marketing Kenya as the home of marathon than being part of an event that will give the world a chance to come and run with Kenyans. We believe this is just the start and this collaboration will significantly boost visitor numbers for both the event and our country as a whole,” said Ms. Chepkemei.
She stated that the country’s stellar global reputation in major sporting disciplines has resonated widely, with many athletes and enthusiasts looking to train and compete in Kenya. She added that KTB will leverage this interest as part of the broader “Run with Champions” campaign.
“Going forward we are going to partner with like-minded partners to push our sports preposition to the global level. We are working with our travel trade to come up with packages that allow the participants to enjoy what Kenya has to offer. Through the ‘Run with Champions’ campaign, our new partnership with Standard Chartered will help us showcase our country’s diverse natural landscapes, vibrant cultures and welcoming communities. We aim to prominently feature major local marathons as part of enriched, competitive tourism experiences that provide unique training opportunities alongside our legendary champions,” said Ms. Chepkemei.
The 20th edition of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon will be held on October 27th, 2024. This year’s event is expected to attract over 23,000 participants, both local and international.
On his part, Standard Chartered Marathon Local organizing committee Chaiman Peter Gitau said
” One of our key performance indicators is to get as many people as possible from outside the country to participate in the marathon. This is because we believe that the marathon gives as a great opportunity to market Kenya as a tourist destination and this partnership with KTB will give us a great edge. We are proud to partner to promote Kenya as a preferred destination for marathon and sports tourism. This year our aim was to register 23,000 runners and so far, we are already at 24,000 and the goal will continue to get the marathon marketed outside the country to even get more international participation.
