Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) has called for increased investment and policy reforms in tourism to support the country’s push for increased tourist numbers.

Kenya intends to raise tourism arrivals from 2.4 million in 2024 to five million international tourists by 2027 to see off stiff competition from Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Zanzibar.

According to the Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report 2023, “Globally international tourists’ arrivals grew by 34 per cent as compared to 2022. This represents an 88 per cent recovery rate of pre-pandemic numbers. Africa recovered 96 per cent to pre-Covid levels with Kenya witnessing a notable surge from 1,483,752 in 2022 to 1,951,185 in 2023, representing an impressive growth of 31.5 per cent. The extent of recovery in 2023 was at 95.24 per cent from the 2019 international arrival levels, this is above the pre-pandemic global recovery levels of 88 per cent. The arrivals generated tourist inbound earnings of Ksh352, 544,008,170 ($2.8 billion) representing a growth of 31.5 per cent.”

Speaking at the 21st Annual KAHC Symposium in Mombasa, themed Toward 5 Million, KAHC National Chair Chris Musau, urged stakeholders to diversify tourism offerings and develop niche products to attract a broader market.

Mr Musau pointed out that there is need to strengthen tourism policy and regulatory frameworks to align with emerging global trends.

According to data from the Tourism Research Institute, Kenya welcomed 2.4 million international tourists in 2024, an increase of 15 per cent from the previous year. Correspondingly, tourism revenue rose by 19.8 per cent, from Ksh377.49 billion ($2.92 billion) in 2023 to Ksh452.20 billion ($3.5 billion) in 2024.

The government was urged to license more chartered planes to Mombasa and Nairobi, not to shield the national carrier, Kenya Airways, from competition.

However, Musau acknowledged that the uncertainties in politics affect the industry as the recurring protests are a claw back to the gains made in the tourism sector, as the country’s reputation is irrevocably harmed. The government was urged to engage in dialogue with the protesting youths to address their grievances, as businesses in the Central Business District are at stake.

“Government should sit with these young people and talk to them but you cannot use force, it can never work,” he stated, adding that when they market the country, they are asked about the demonstrations, but have no answers.

He emphasised that the stakeholders want stability as the country has great potential to attract more tourists and its reputation shouldn’t be compromised.

KAHC’s CEO, Mike Macharia, noted that the major enabler of achieving the five million tourists is Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism.

He urged the government to bid to host more international conferences and to construct another convention centre to complement the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

“We can do a private-public partnership, and we have a very big space at the Bomas of Kenya, where we can put up a proper convention centre. We can put up the infrastructure to get there in and out,” stated Macharia.

He further exhorted the government to put an end to the endless cycle of violence through dialogue with the young people to understand their issues and come-up with a middle ground on how to develop the country.

“We cannot develop an economy without the youth. We need the youth to take over when we are going away. We need stability and peace in the country,” he said.

The government was commended for improving the transport network across the country to facilitate the seamless movement of tourists.

County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Culture and Tourism, Mohamed Osman, said he believes that the five million target can be achieved by 2026. He urged the government to fully implement the open sky policy to attract more tourists to the country.

“We have seen the results of an open sky policy; we have seen why Zanzibar, sharing the same demographics and culture with Mombasa can receive 800,000 tourists. It’s time we walk the talk and allow direct flights to Mombasa,” Osman said

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Sadik Hassan