In a bid to stimulate the tourism industry in Kenya, the Kenya Tourism Board has unveiled the first phase of a new online directory that lists local companies and tourist attractions.

The directory lists accommodation, tourist attractions and tour guide operators for easy reference and access to visitors.

"We need to expand our product range and we need to talk about the attractions and good things that are happening in this country. And that's what we intend this directory to do in adding more information," Muriithi Ndegwa the managing director of Kenya Tourism Board said.

"This initiative which we are launching today, complements our strategy and plan to improve our competitiveness and market Kenya as the preferred tourism destination of choice in East Africa and beyond," Phyllis Kandie, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism said during the launch.

In May 2014, the board engaged a UK firm, National Review, to introduce online campaigns to restore Kenya's reputation as a tourism destination. The intention is to counter the negative impact that past terrorist attacks have had on the East African country's tourism sector.

The online reputation campaign was pegged at $118,000 as a part of a bigger campaign of Kshs 200 million (US$2.3 million) to market Kenya globally.