NAIROBI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said Thursday it has launched a national program to equip domestic product managers and sales agents with skills to sell travel experiences online.

Betty Radier, KTB Managing Director, said the tourism marketing body has partnered with Google, mobile operator Safaricom, Marketing Society of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Tourism Finance Corporation and KTB's online consultant to undertake the training program.

"KTB will work with the identified partners to engage players in the tourism and travel sector and show them how to utilize the internet to their advantage," Radier said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

She said the overarching objective of the online training program is to increase consumption of the domestic holiday product by Kenyans and those living in Kenya by demystifying tourism and encouraging domestic travel throughout the year.

The program further seeks to share insights with players in the tourism and travel sector on the current issues, tourism trends and new product developments in Kenya as a destination.

The roll-out of the online training program comes at a time when Kenya's domestic tourism is on a steady rise.

According to KTB, a total of 4.05 million bed nights were taken up by Kenyans in 2017 compared to 3.5 million in 2016, denoting a 15.9 percent growth.

Radier said the growth of internet in Kenya has spurred positive development in the tourism industry with consumers readily able to access the internet to search for their next holiday destination.

"A big percentage of Kenyans access internet through their mobile phones providing a great opportunity for the trade to utilize these platforms to engage Kenyans with travel related content and experiences," she said.