Nairobi — Kenya tourism authorities have adopted mobile phone technology to add value to foreign visitors' trips to the country and help boost numbers.

Sponge, a mobile marketing agency created the 'Magical Kenya' Application and Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) hope it will act as a platform for tourists to share their experiences of Kenya.

Available at the Google Play store, the App allows travelers to save items they need to carry on a trip planner as well as create a souvenir video during their tour of the country.

The app is available on Android and iPhone and is targeting at the English-speaking market.

KTB's Muriuki Murithi said last week, "Mobile is crucial to the way people research holidays and enjoy travel - our first foray into using mobile as a promotional tool is an important step in raising the profile of Kenya as a tourist destination."

According to sources, the online campaign is aimed at boosting the tourism sector in Kenya which is one of the major contributors to the country's GDP.

In 2012 Kenya received just over a million tourists placing it well below the continent's top tourist destinations, South Africa and Egypt which welcome over 10 million tourists annually

"We're delivering information about Kenya to a technology-driven audience, so it's essential to present it using the right platform. Sponge created an app that offers continuous interaction," Murithi said.

The android application delivers a range of travel text and image content, an itinerary planner and video creation tool that is pulled off a users' itinerary in addition to offering a social sharing component.