By Niels Bartels, ANA Travel Editor in Nairobi, Kenya
From 2nd– 4th October 2024 the 14thedition of Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) took place at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi. It was a platform for B2B meetings between leading African products and top-producing global buyers. It was a good opportunity for the exhibitors to generate new business and to interact with international trade. The event attracted more than 5,000 delegates who could as well participate in seminars and market presentations in order to gain valuable information about the newest trends.
AfricaNewsAnalysis’ Travel Editor, Niels Bartels, was on site and spoke with some exhibitors and attendees of the event.
One of them was Sharon Ireeta from Uganda who has a very interesting story to tell since she worked 13 years in Finance. She then started – three years ago – her travel company Nkwanzi Africa Travel Limited. She supports sustainable tourism with her client Standard Chartered Bank. They plant 1500 trees every year in Kasese during the TuskerLite Mt.Rwenzori Marathon.
AfricaNewsAnalysis: Which destinations does your travel agency offer ?
Sharon: Our focus is on what is unique to Uganda: Primates (Gorillas and Chimps, golden monkeys). And also on the Mountains of Uganda (Rwenzoris, Virungas, Elgon, Karamoja mountains of Kadam, Napak, Moroto & Murongole. Other than that, we offer Source & Adventure tours and Culture & heritage tourism. We also do the Savannah parks safaris but these always come as extras/extensions to the above
AfricaNewsAnalysis: Which different mountain safaris do you offer?
Sharon: All mountains of Uganda, all East African Region mountains, Semien in Ethiopia. We also organise trips to mountains in Europe, South America and North America with support of partners in the destinations
AfricaNewsAnalysis: Since how long have you been organising mountain safaris?
Sharon: Since 2021 at the inception of Nkwanzi Travel
AfricaNewsAnalysis: How did you start ?
Sharon: I started on 21st September 2021. Before that I was just a tourist. I have always had a big wanderlust, I have travelled a lot as a child and as well as a teenager. I have always had a big passion for travelling and seeing places. At that time, I did many different sorts of tourism, but what I didn’t do – at that time – was to climb mountains. However, I climbed my first mountain in December 2020. My first mountain was Mount Kadam. After that, I climbed many other big mountains and now I made a profession out of my passion and work in tourism.
I left banking in July 2020. I was not employed when I started my travel agency. I have a friend with whom I was in high school. I did post a lot about the places I have been to (like for example the different national parks I have been to) I posted for example pictures about my trip to Queen Elizabeth park on Facebook. Then that friend of mine from High School called me and asked me if I am able to organize a trip for her (and her family). They were a total of 28 persons (her husband,her children and siblings…) That’s how Nkwanzi Travel was born.
AfricaNewsAnalysis: What happened then ? How did you continue?
Sharon: In 2022 I received an invitation from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. They were giving awards. I did not know that I had won an award. It was a nice event and we received an award for being among the best three in domestic tourism since we had brought in many people from Kenya and other countries like Tanzania and of course as well Ugandans. We took them up the mountains. They rewarded us with gorilla permits to take anyone to Bwindi.
AfricaNewsAnalysis: I am sure you need several partnerships in order to be able to keep your business going. Which partnerships do you currently have?
Sharon: We currently mainly have partnerships with hotels (accommodation) and for transport. Furthermore for food and beverages along the destination (stops). Then we have partnerships with the ones that are under Uganda Wildlife Authority (Elgon for example). Then we have partnerships for outbound (Tanzania, Kenya and recently Malawi, Zambia for the Victoria Falls – we have people that are local tour operators in those countries. We usually do Fam Trips with them or they come here (to Uganda) so they see how we work and I am then able to sell their product. We also have companies in the UK and South Africa that give us Inbound.
AfricaNewsAnalysis: Thank you for this interview