Kenya’s tourism stakeholders are exploring how to ‘reimagine’ the Kenyan safari, including how it is presented and promoted to the travel industry within the digital environment.

The African Safari Summit , held from March 15-16, saw county government officials, owners and managers from Kenya’s leading tourism businesses, and the tourism ministry, meet to discuss the country’s safari products, and how best to innovate in the face of emerging trends in technology and travel.

“Safari, as we know it, originated from Kenya about a century ago. Our competitors have taken over the term and are using it to compete with us in their product design and marketing. I am confident that by bringing our industry thought leaders together, we can set some bold ideas and redefine the African Safari for the next 100 years,” said Najib Balala, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary of Tourism, in a statement issued in Nairobi last Thursday.

“The strategic direction provided by the National Tourism Blueprint 2030 is a call to consider key trends that are of importance to our tourism. They include companies that are driving disruptions like Uber and Airbnb, the digital economy, new consumption patterns and inter-African travel trends,” added Balala.

Last year saw Kenya’s international arrival numbers increase by 37% from 2017 to surpass the two million mark for the first time. African arrivals were the main source market, accounting for 40%, followed by European visitors at 30%.