NAIROBI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- About 5,000 music industry players from about 50 African countries are due to met in Nairobi for a three-day conference to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages, organizers said on Wednesday.
Betty Radier, chief executive officer of the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), welcomed the second Music in Africa Conference for Collaboration, Exchange and Showcases (ACCES) as an endorsement to Nairobi's status as a business and leisure destination.
"Partnering with the Music in African Foundation is in line with KTB's strategy to partner with non-tourism organizations from different sectors, as the conference provides KTB with a unique platform that goes beyond marketing Kenya to the local audiences in order to create awareness and hence conversion," she said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Radier said KTB was proud to associate itself with the conference which she said adds to the growing push to sell Africa both as a tourism destination but also as a tourist source market.
The KTB official added that the event which begins in Nairobi on Thursday further provides an opportunity to reach out to the niche market across Africa that is driven by the love of music.
"Music and entertainment is part and parcel of the continent's rich cultural heritage and a vital component of its diverse tourism offering. We believe that the ACCES conference will go a long way towards raising awareness of Africa's diverse cultural tourism offering and amplifying Brand Africa's visibility to the rest of the world," she said.
ACCES, which was launched in Dakar, Senegal in 2017, has become one of the leading annual music events in the African continent, attracting a strong niche audience of music industry players from all over the globe.
The pan African event is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe.
Radier said the choice of Nairobi as the host city for the ACCES conference is a confirmation of the wide appeal that Nairobi has as a meetings, incentives, conference and exhibition (MICE) destination.
"This is over and above Nairobi's global acclaim as the safari capital of the world as it is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries - Nairobi National Park. Both business and leisure come alive in Nairobi," she said.
