Kenya Tourism Board Eyes 5 Million Tourist Arrivals by 2028

Kenya Tourism Board, the country’s marketing agency, has set a goal of 5.5 million international tourist arrivals over the next five years in its strategic plan, which was unveiled on Wednesday.

According to KTB chairperson Francis Gichaba, the strategic plan for 2023-2028 aims to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to Kenya’s economy to 1 trillion shillings (approximately 6.63 billion US dollars) per year by June 2028.

“We are very optimistic that with the support from the private sector and other key players in the industry, our performance will even surpass the 2019 arrivals to over 2 million and progressively beyond,” Gichaba told tourism stakeholders in Nairobi.

The meeting of hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents, tourism associations, and government agencies aimed to validate KTB’s five-year strategic plan.

Gichaba stated that the sector is fully recovered and that arrivals by the end of the current fiscal year will be slightly higher than the 1.9 million visitors recorded in 2019.

He stated that KTB will approach private sector players to collaborate on marketing efforts in the country.

Gichaba described destination marketing as a collaborative effort, noting that involving the private sector in strategy development was one method of incorporating valuable ideas that would shape the sector’s performance during the review period.

According to the strategy, the sector aims to increase Kenya’s market share in Africa from 2.26 percent to 6% by 2022 and to increase employment contribution from 7.9 percent in 2022 to 10% annual growth.

In terms of GDP, the tourism marketing agency hopes to increase the figure from 6.4 percent last year to 10 percent by 2027.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, tourism is one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners, alongside diaspora remittances, horticulture, and tea exports.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) CEO Mike Macharia urged private players to tailor their products and experiences to market demands.

“We talk of Africa as the low-hanging fruit in terms of numbers and market share in the country and therefore the product owners should package their products and experience and sell to Africa. This move would also open opportunities for Africans to invest in the hospitality sector in Kenya,” Macharia said.

He challenged the marketing agency not to cut back on in-market promotional activities such as participation in tourism trade shows such as World Travel Market (WTM) and International Tourism Bourse (ITB), which he identified as one way to increase brand visibility.

“We have to go where the market is, and this is what our competitors such as South Africa have beaten us on. They have invested heavily in market presence not only to build brand awareness but to sign marketing deals,” Macharia affirmed.

According to the strategy, the domestic market’s performance is expected to increase from 5 million bed nights today to 7.4 million in 2028.