Okoa Ndoa, Okoa Holiday and Lipa Pole Pole: Success Stories by Tourism Game Changer Bonfire Adventures

Simon Kabu, Chairman and CEO of Bonfire Adventures, mentions some success stories, mentioning concepts such as Okoa Ndoa (Save Your Marriage), Okoa Holiday (Save Your Holiday) and Lipa Pole Pole (paying little by little or in installments).

“Our company is a family-run business. Before we came into the sector, it was very difficult to travel in Kenya. When we entered, we introduced very unique packages where you could get the same service for a much lower cost. A three-day package would have been $500 and we brought it down to $160. We did one unique thing: combine people for transport. For that, we were recognized as a game changer and we have revolutionized the tourism industry in Kenya. With the emergence of the middle class in Kenya, we have a lot more people travelling now. The normal Kenyan population was not travelling before but we started using social media to market to those people. It was not very expensive and it made more people travel so we were able to maintain our packages at an affordable price with good value for money. We have been able to introduce unique packages which no one else has. For example, most relationships and marriages are not as strong as they are meant to be. We started a package where you leave your phone, go out with your partner, and rejuvenate your relationship or marriage with your spouse or partner. In Kiswahili we call it “Okoa Ndoa” or “Save Your Marriage”. We work with certain hotels to get great discounts and serve those people wanting to save their marriages. We also have a program called “Okoa Holiday”, or “Save Your Holiday”, for people who do not have enough resources. If you do not have money now but you want to travel, we will give you a holiday in conjunction with a banking institution and you are able to pay within six months interest free. That has been very popular with people here in Kenya going inbound and outbound. Another success story is lipa pole pole, which in Kiswahili means paying little by little or in installments. It is not the culture in Africa for people to save for their holiday over a long time. We are trying to introduce this. You can pay by installment and find the best packages and hotels that have value for money but might book up faster. If you put down a deposit and pay little by little, we can reserve that fast selling out hotel for you”, says Simon Kabu.

FAIR USE POLICY
This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged.