NAIROBI, May 22  -- Kenya plans to launch an aggressive marketing campaign to woo Chinese tourists as the East African nation eyes 1 million visitors from the Asian country by 2017, a senior official disclosed on Thursday.

Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Phyllis Kandie said Kenya has resolved to focus on China to offset the dwindling number of holiday makers triggered by negative publicity in the traditional Western markets.

"We have set a target of 3 million tourists from around the globe and 1 million will come from China," Kandie told Xinhua in an interview ahead of her official visit to China from May 27-June 2.

Kandie said Kenya has intensified campaigns to expose the country as an attractive destination among Chinese tourists as Nairobi pursues the Asian nation as one of the leading emerging markets.

Statistics from the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) shows that arrivals from China by the end of 2011 were at 37,400 growing by 10.3 percent to 41,300 by the end of 2012. Number of Chinese visitors in 2013 stood at 37,000.

Officials from the KTB and tour operators have in the recently past been on a campaign blitz to market Kenya in China through media promotions across major Chinese cities.

Famous for its characteristic savanna safaris, Kenya is a country of dramatic extremes and classic contrasts.

Deserts and alpine snows; forests and open plains; the metropolis of Nairobi and colorful tribal cultures; fresh water lakes and coral reefs, Kenya has everything to offer everyone, though the wildlife safaris have been the top tourist attractions in Kenya.

KTB has attributed the remarkable record in growth of Chinese visitors in the past few years to the aggressive marketing by KTB which has continued to focus more on consumer awareness programmes both on line such as through Weibo as well as in consumer events.

During the week-long visit, Kandie will meet State officials, investors and travel agencies to discuss strategies of enlarging China's footprint in Kenyan tourism industry.

She added that Kenya has turned to China to develop a robust tourism industry. Development of tourism sector, she said, is embedded within Sino-Kenya bilateral cooperation.

During her tour in China, Kandie will be accompanied by a strong delegation of state officials and business people.

"The Chinese and Kenyan investors will meet to discuss investment opportunities in the tourism sector. We will shed light on tourist attractions through documentaries," said Kandie.

She revealed that Kenya has repackaged promotional campaigns targeting Chinese audience. "We are aware that the Chinese are keen on a combination of holidays and business opportunities and our promotions capture this reality," Kandie said.

She disclosed that her week-long visit to Beijing and Shanghai will lay groundwork for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector.

Kandie's remarks come as tourism industry in Kenya is facing a major test as terror attacks rise in the East African country and western nations withdraw their nationals.

The challenges are threatening to cripple the industry that is one of the biggest foreign earners for Kenya. Kenya mainly relies on tourists from western nations.

A rise in terror attacks in the capital Nairobi and tourist bedrock, the Coast, has seen western nations issue travel advisories to their nationals.