Kenya’s tourism sector registered a record 2.4 million international arrivals and an almost 20% revenue increase in 2024.
Inbound arrivals grew by 15% from the prior year while inbound tourism earnings grew from KES377.5 billion (€2.8 billion) to KES452.2 billion (€3.35 billion), according to the 2024 Tourism Sector Performance Report.
“This progressive achievement is the result of concerted strategic interventions that include aggressive marketing campaigns, enhanced tourism product diversification, adoption of digital platforms and the introduction of new scheduled flights,” said Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano during the launch of the report in Mombasa on Wednesday (February 19).
“In particular, our efforts towards tourism product diversification and digital transformation advancement have allowed us to cater to diverse visitor preferences and reach a wider audience through online channels. These gains underscore the effectiveness of strategic interventions such as enhanced air connectivity,” she added.
The US maintained its position as Kenya’s top source market, accounting for 12.8% of total arrivals, with 306 501 visitors. This was followed by neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda contributing 8.4% and 9.4% respectively.
China was the fastest-growing overseas market with a 47% increase in arrivals from 61 377 in 2023 to 90 462.
Europe was the East African country’s largest overseas source market region, with a 28.1% share of arrivals, followed by the Americas (15.7%) and Asia (12.1%).
The MICE sector recorded a 12.5% increase in international arrivals to over 643 000, growing its share of total overall arrivals from 24% to 27%.
Miano is optimistic about the tourism sector’s continued growth and transformation in 2025.
“Based on current trends and our growth strategy, we remain optimistic that Kenya is on course to welcome three million visitors by 2025, potentially generating KES560 billion (€4.1 billion) in tourism earnings. We have laid a firm foundation to make Kenya a competitive global tourism destination.”
Miano pledged to foster more public-private partnerships and to implement policies and initiatives that would contribute to sustainable growth.
