United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) have launched prepaid travel card aimed at promoting Kenyan tourism across the continent. Dubbed the Magical Kenya Prepaid Card, the card is designed with an embedded loyalty platform, that allows accumulation and transfer of points within the hospitality sector and encourage tourists to travel freely.
According to KTB, the card will target West African Nationals traveling for corporate, education, medical and leisure within the continent.
“The Magical Kenya prepaid Travel card is the first of its kind owing to the fact that it is the first destination card launched by UBA with a destination. Additionally, the card will be available to International and domestic travelers in Kenya. This will enable all users, whether UBA customers or not – to have unparalleled access to benefits available across all platforms. This will further enhance the Magical Kenya’s footprint in the continent,” said Jimi Kariuki, the chairperson at KTB.
The cards will be distributed across the UBA Bank’s footprint to customers and potential customers. This according to UBA, will translate to an untapped market of over 5million card users in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.
“The West African market is potential to us,” said Mr Kariuki. He added that the launch was the beginning of KTB’s efforts to tap into the market that has high spenders with willingness to spend. “The card is a great incentive as it avails to travellers value adds in terms of bonus points, discounts or gift,”
The target list of customers will be engaged and enticed through registration campaigns as well as convenience for everyday use both in home market and when traveling to Kenya. Customers will be categorized according to their age, deposit balance, types of accounts they hold. This will create an appeal for the card as well as the realization, eventually that this may be the only card needed in the wallet,
“By leveraging on innovative solutions provided by services such as the Magical Kenya Travel Card, tourism can not only lead the new frontier of fairer, stronger and more sustainable growth, but has the potential to become of one the most effective agents of development,” said Isaac Mwige UBA’s CEO.
