Kenya’s coastal tourism faces intense competition from well-established global beach destinations, making it difficult to attract high-end international travellers. While Kenya boasts stunning beaches, vibrant Swahili culture and rich marine biodiversity, destinations like the Seychelles, Mauritius and Zanzibar have been successfully positioned as premier luxury retreats.

Limited direct air access

Victor Shitaka, Chairman of Kenya Coast Tourism Association, believes accessibility is a key reason international tourists tend to choose other coastal destinations over Kenya.

“A major challenge affecting Kenya’s coastal tourism is its restrictive air access policies compared to other leading beach destinations. The lack of an open skies policy, which allows more foreign airlines to fly directly into key destinations, has limited flight availability, which keeps airfares high and reduces accessibility for international travellers. Tourists have to wait for an hour or two before connecting to our coast compared to other destinations where they fly direct,” he notes.

In contrast, Zanzibar, Mauritius and Seychelles have embraced open skies agreements encouraging more direct international flights, boosting visitor numbers and driving down ticket prices through increased competition.

“By liberalising its airspace and enhancing direct connectivity to coastal hubs like Mombasa and Diani, Kenya could significantly enhance its attractiveness to global tourists, aligning with competitors that have leveraged aviation policies to expand their tourism markets,” Shitaka says.

Another factor he notes is that, while Kenya has high-end coastal resorts, it lacks a wide range of internationally recognised luxury hotel chains compared to Mauritius, Seychelles or Zanzibar, which have more global hospitality brands like Four Seasons, St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton.

Shitaka says, while Kenyan hospitality is excellent, beach tourism growth has been held back by aging resorts – some are in need of renovation to meet the evolving expectations of international luxury travellers.

Combatting misconceptions

Security concerns have also affected Kenya’s reputation as a safe beach destination. Past security incidents, particularly in Lamu mainland and areas near the Somali border, have led to travel advisories.

Meanwhile, destinations like Zanzibar, leverage their strong cultural and culinary appeal to attract tourists.

“Tourists seeking a more culturally immersive experience may find Zanzibar’s Swahili-Arabic heritage or Mauritius’ Indo-African-European influences more appealing. Zanzibar is selling culture and we too need to do the same and renovate our coastal cities,” explains Shitaka.

Byron Thomas, Senior Destination Specialist at Natural World Safaris, points out that international tourists primarily view Kenya as a safari destination. “For most visitors from the UK and US, there are beaches closer to home to visit,” he says.

Having designed safaris for the past 15 years, Thomas has observed that British and European tourists are more likely to visit Kenya’s coast while most international travellers prioritise proximity when selecting beach destinations.”

Another issue impacting the appeal of the Kenyan Coast is that its peak season doesn’t line up with the prime months for the Maasai Mara, says Thomas, adding that Zanzibar is a better fit. “The Seychelles is miles apart from a coastal Kenyan beach experience with private islands in the middle of the bluest, warmest ocean versus fairly busy beaches on the continent, which cannot compete fairly,” he observes.

Despite these challenges, Kenya is working to revitalise its coastal tourism sector. The Kenya Tourism Board has introduced a multifaceted strategy to attract diverse visitors and strengthen the country’s position in the competitive tourism market.

The New Tourism Strategy (2021-2025) focuses on brand repositioning and the development of diverse tourism products including resort cities as well as business, sports and cultural tourism and eco-tourism.

In November 2024, Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife unveiled the Coast Tourism Circuit to increase tourist numbers through coordinated efforts between national and county governments and private-sector partnerships. This initiative includes collaborative marketing and the development of tailored tourism packages to attract more travellers to Kenya’s coastal regions.