Govt Responds After West Ham Star Declares Kenya As Favourite Destination
When Phillips was asked his favourite holiday destination, he affirmed that Kenya was top of his list in terms of travel destinations.
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The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) operating popularly under Magical Kenya, has responded to a revelation by West Ham United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, currently on loan from Manchester City, that Kenya is his favourite holiday destination.
It began on Friday, January 26 when the England international made the revelation during a quick interview with the East London-based English Premier League (EPL) football club as he prepares to debut with the Hammers, who return to league action on Thursday.
When Phillips was asked his favourite holiday destination, he affirmed that Kenya was top of his list in terms of travel destinations.
A photo of Kalvin Phillips and his girlfriend in Tsavo National Park, in 2022. /KALVIN PHILLIPS
“What is your favourite holiday destination?”, the interviewer asked him.
“Kenya”, Phillips responded.
Phillips' answer, as captured in a video of the interview shared on West Ham's social media pages, sparked excited reactions among Kenyans who put pressure on the government to seize the opportunity just like Rwanda, its fellow East African Community (EAC) country, to heavily market itself as a tourist destination.
To be specific, Rwanda has a campaign dubbed Visit Rwanda which is Arsenal Football Club’s official Tourism Partner and its first shirt sleeve partner. The Visit Rwanda logo features on the left sleeve of all AFC teams for the duration of a three-year partnership.
Magical Kenya on Monday, January 29 finally responded, extending an invite to Phillips to tour Kenya, as well as the entire West Ham team.
"Hey Kalvin Phillips, come kick it in Kenya again sometime soon and bring the whole West Ham team with you!" Magical Kenya responded on X.
It is worth it to note that Phillips visited Kenya in July 2022 for two weeks after completing his move from his former club Leeds United to Manchester City.
During the visit, Phillips embarked on a Safari at Tsavo National Park while staying at a luxury camp within the expansive destination.
He also praised Kenya during his stay during which he was accompanied by his girlfriend.
“The past two weeks we travelled to Kenya on a Safari which was an experience I don’t think we will ever be able to top!! Me &my girlfriend absolutely love animals so having the chance to do our best David Attenborough is something we won’t ever forget, seeing these animals in the wild was unreal!,” Philips posted on his Instagram page.
Recently, Kenya was on Wednesday, January 24 elected to Chair the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness, solidifying its position as a leader in the global tourism industry.
Phillips signed a six-year contract when he joined City from Leeds United in a £45m (Ksh9.3 billion) deal in July 2022. However, he made just two starts and 16 total Premier League appearances in his 18 months at the Cityzens as he struggled for game time under manager Pep Guardiola.
Several other clubs, including Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Juventus, had also expressed an interest in him.
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