Building Bonds With Kenya

Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya, delivers a speech upon the Launch of Kenya's Tourism Marketing Campaign to invite more Chinese people to visit his country.

The winner, Huang Chengzi, the first runner-up, Liu Zijiao, and the second runner-up, Qiu Ye, of the Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006 could not have imagined that one day they would be associated with the nation of Kenya, let alone be the country's tourism image ambassadors. But so this has come to be.

In reflection of the operative theme "Friendship, Peace, Cooperation and Development," of the Beijing Summit of Sino-African Cooperation Forum, on November 3, one day before the opening of the event, the Launch of Kenya's Tourism Marketing Campaign was held at the Beijing Prime Hotel. To promote Kenya's tourism and friendship between the two nations, the newly crowned Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006 of the Phoenix TV Huang Chengzi, first runner-up Liu Zijiao and second runner-up Qiu Ye, together with Miss World Kenya and Miss Tourism Kenya, were designated as Kenya Tourism Image Ambassadors. Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya, who was in Beijing for the summit, also attended the ceremony.

Located in the east of Africa, the Republic of Kenya is one of the oldest known regions to be inhabited by humans. Fossils of human skulls dating back 2.5 million years ago were unearthed from this land.

China and Kenya established diplomatic relationships on December 14, 1963. In recent years, the bilateral trade volume has steadily expanded. According to statistics from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, in the first six months of 2006, trade volume between the two countries reached $253.02 million.

Tourism is a pillar industry of Kenya. Attractions include national parks, lakes in Nairobi, Tsavo, Amboseli, Nakuru, Masai Mara, the East African Rift Valley, Mount Kenya, and sea beaches of Mombasa.

Three Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006, together with Miss World Kenya and Miss Tourism Kenya, attend the launch ceremony as Kenya Tourism Image Ambassadors.

At the launch celebration, the head of the Kenya Tourism Administration Bureau presented silk ribbons to the three Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006 winners. Kenya's tourism department made Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006 the tourism ambassadors of their country. Kenya's move shows its confidence and effort in expanding the share of outbound tourism market of China. Since there is a "Overseas Tour" of annual Miss Chinese Comos Pageant, Kenya Tourism Administration Bureau especially issued invitations, hoping that the overseas tour of Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2007 will be in Kenya for the contestants to experience the exotic Kenya flavor and charming people. Huang Chengzi, Liu Zijiao, and Qiu Ye, along with Miss World Kenya and Miss Tourism Kenya, will also go to Kenya to promote cultural exchange and tourism of the two countries.

After the launch ceremony, Huang Chengzi, Liu Zijiao, and Qiu Ye accepted an interview from a China Pictorial reporter. From Chengdu City, the 19-year-old winner, Huang Chengzi, says to China Pictorial that a country with beautiful natural scenery and rich resources, Kenya combines perfectly the wilderness and modernism. She wishes to ride camels on Kenya's sea beaches.

The second runner-up, 19-year-old Qiu Ye from Chongqing Municipality, says that as an image ambassador of Kenya, she would like to present this beautiful country to Chinese tourists. "Kenya people are also very willing to learn more about China. As Miss Chinese Comos Pageant 2006, the three of us would like to be act as a mirror for Kenya people to better understand China. I am sure our visit to Kenya will be a special experience," says Qiu.

Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya, announces the opening of the Launch of Kenya's Tourism Marketing Campaign.

The first runner-up, 22-year-old Liu Zijiao, who lives in Australia, tells the reporter that just before the interview, she was learning the Kenyan language so that she could welcome the girls of Kenya, and they were learning the Chinese language to welcome her. "It is our honor to be part of the effort to promote Sino-Africa relationship. In the past, I often think of wild animals when talking about Africa. However, actually there are a lot more unknown things which need to be explored in this continent. We should do more to learn about Africa. A newly explored tourism market, Kenya wishes to pro-mole more exchanges with China and the space for Sino-Africa communication is huge," says Liu.

Huang Chengzi (right), Liu Zijiao (middle) and Qiu Ye (left).