- The Kenya Tourism Board has developed a five-year (2023-2028) strategic plan to propel the growth of tourist arrivals.
- It aims to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to Kenya’s economy to $6.6 billion annually by June 2028.
- Public-private sector collaboration in destination marketing is one of the strategies being employed, incorporating ideas that will shape the industry’s performance within the review period.
Kenya aims to increase annual international tourist arrivals to 5.5 million in the next five years, a goal that would more than triple the current numbers. The ambitious plan is spearheaded by the country’s primary marketing unit, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), which is seeking collaboration with private sector players to effectively market the country.
According to KTB Chairperson Francis Gichaba, the sector is experiencing a full recovery, and he anticipates that arrivals by the end of the current financial year will surpass the slightly over 1.9 million visitors recorded in 2019.
“We are very optimistic that, with support from the private sector and other key players in the industry, our performance will exceed the 2019 arrivals, reaching over two million and progressively beyond,” said Gichaba.
Over the years, KTB has closely collaborated with the private sector in marketing destination Kenya. Key private sector tourism stakeholders in the country include hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents, and tourism associations.
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Strategic plan to drive tourist arrivals
KTB has developed a five-year strategic plan for 2023-2028, relying on it to drive the growth in tourist arrivals. The Board aims to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to Kenya’s economy to $6.6 billion annually by June 2028.
One of the strategies employed involves collaboration between the public and private sectors in destination marketing, incorporating ideas that will shape the sector’s performance during the review period.
Mike Macharia, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Hotel Keepers Association and Caterers (KAHC), has urged private players to tailor their products and experiences to meet the market’s needs. He emphasized the potential of Africa as a lucrative market, encouraging product owners to package and sell their offerings to the continent. This approach, he noted, could also create opportunities for Africans to invest in the hospitality sector in Kenya.
While commending KTB for consolidating industry input into its strategy, the head of KAHC challenged the marketing agency not to scale back on in-market promotional activities, including participation in tourism fairs such as the recently concluded World Travel Market (WTM) and International Tourism Bourse (ITB).
Macharia highlighted these events as crucial for increasing brand visibility, emphasizing the need to go where the market is, citing successful examples from competitors like South Africa, who have invested heavily in market presence to build brand awareness and secure marketing deals.
Read also: Kenya partners with media to market tourism offerings
Market share in Africa
In the strategy, the sector aims to increase Kenya’s market share in Africa to six per cent from the current 2.26 per cent and boost employment contribution from 7.9 per cent in 2022 to an annual growth of 10 per cent.
Regarding the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the tourism marketing agency targets a shift from last year’s recorded 6.4 per cent to 10 per cent by 2027. The performance of the domestic market is also expected to grow from the current five million bed nights to about 7.4 million in 2028.
Kenya is intensifying its marketing efforts to capture a larger share of its key source markets as it seeks to solidify its position in the global tourism market.
According to KTB Acting CEO John Chirchir, the country is hosting various marketing forums and roadshows across Europe, Asia, and Africa to promote Kenya as a preferred destination. It has already conducted a series of six-day roadshows in three major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
From January to August, Kenya received 34,638 Chinese tourists, up from 13,601 recorded in the same period in 2022, representing a growth rate of 154 per cent.
In Africa, KTB, in collaboration with Kenya Airways, has organized forums in Cape Town, Uganda, Rwanda, and more recently, Johannesburg, with the aim of stimulating demand and tapping into the appetite for travel from the vast African market.
Read also: Can Kenya’s innovation in tourism win the war for visitors?
King Charles’ visit
Meanwhile, the recent visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Kenya is expected to further enhance bilateral relations with the UK, with tourism being one of the major beneficiaries.
Industry experts believe that the visit by their Majesties has firmly positioned Kenya on the map for potential tourists and investors in the UK and beyond. The UK ranks among the top three tourist source markets for Kenya, following the US and Uganda, and has shown steady and promising growth in recent years.
In the period between January and August this year, Kenya welcomed 101,167 visitors from the UK, up from 83,126 tourist arrivals in the same period last year, representing a 21.7 per cent increase.
Last year, international arrivals from the UK totaled 131,526. Given the eight-month figures, it is anticipated that full-year arrivals will surpass the 2022 numbers.
In 2022, the UK was the third top source, following the US with 209,360 visitors and Uganda with 151,121 visitors, as the sector continued to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which almost crippled tourism.
Victor Shitakha, Chairperson of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA), stated that the Royal Visit, including events in the beach destination of Mombasa, was a significant endorsement of the coastal region as a tourism hub.
The coastal region is popular among British tourists, with beach and safari experiences ranking among the top choices for European visitors, including those from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Poland. In contrast, Americans prefer the Mount Kenya tourism circuit.
In terms of investment, Kenya, the largest economy in the East Africa Community, is the first country on the continent to enter into a trade agreement with the UK worth $1.1 billion (Ksh 167 billion) annually, with the potential for further growth.
Despite a recent decline in the total stock, the UK, Mauritius, the US, South Africa, and France account for most of Kenya’s Foreign Direct Investments.
“The United Kingdom market has been key in our growth strategy, and we are determined to increase arrivals from this market further as we work towards achieving our target of 5.5 million arrivals by 2028,” said Chirchir.
Read also: Tanzania upbeat to become Africa’s top tourism destination
