Kenya tourism board,  (KTB) has appointed John Chirchir as its acting Chief Executive Officer taking over from Betty Radier.

Radier exits the position after serving her full term of six years at the helm of the marketing agency.

While announcing the changes, KTB chairperson Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert termed Radier’s tenure a successful one having seen through a strong destination brand with global recognition.

“Her six years in office has helped positively profile the destination globally and I strongly believe that the incoming acting CEO will build on this to take the destination to the next level,” said the chairperson.

Radier lauded the industry for resilience and for formulating innovative and proactive measures to minimize the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that had threatened to erode gains in the tourism business.

“I am happy that the strategies we have put in place together with the ministry of tourism and the private sector to grow tourism numbers are yielding fruits with an increase in the number of domestic bed nights occupancy and international arrivals, we particularly applaud the domestic market for their support,” said Radier.

Chirchir, who has been serving as the Digital Marketing Manager at the agency, has extensive knowledge on destination marketing spanning over 20 years and has championed marketing programmes in Kenya’s tourist key source markets of Europe, Emerging, Africa, and the US.

He holds a Masters Degree in Hotel and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Commerce in marketing, and postgraduate Diploma in digital marketing.

He has been key in KTB’s navigation of the board’s digital programs accelerated by the pandemic.