Kenya's tourism sector welcomed a record 2.4 M international arrivals in 2024, surpassing Kenya’s highest arrival numbers.
In the 2024 performance report released today by Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, the inbound arrivals figures represented a significant 15 %increase from the 2,089,259 recorded in 2023.
Similarly, there was a substantial increase in inbound tourism earnings, rising from Kshs. 377.49 billion in 2023 to Kshs. 452.20 billion in 2024, reflecting a 19.79% increase.
The domestic tourism sector also recorded impressive gains, with bed night occupancy rose by 16% from 8,632,803 in 2023 to 9,992,721 in 2024. The report also states that occupancy by international visitors increased from 4,014,707 in 2023 to 4,818,755 in 2024, indicating a growth of 20%.
Speaking during the launch of the report in Mombasa, CS Miano said the figures validate the government's strategic interventions to revitalize and diversify the tourism sector.
“This progressive achievement is as the result of concerted strategic intervention that include aggressive marketing campaigns, enhanced tourism product diversification, adoption of digital platforms, and the introduction of new scheduled flights," remarked the CS, highlighting the reasons for the remarkable travel influx.
"A key enabler has been product diversification and digital transformation advancements. These gains underscore the effectiveness of strategic interventions such as enhanced air connectivity,” she added.
The United States maintained its position as Kenya's top source market, accounting for 12.8% of total arrivals, with 306,501 visitors. Tanzania and Uganda followed suit, contributing 8.4% and 9.4% respectively, reflecting the robust intra-regional travel within the East African Community (EAC).
Notably, the East African Region (EAC) showcased impressive growth, with Tanzania recording the highest increase of 42,133 arrivals, followed by China with a remarkable 29,085 additional visitors.
The United States, Somalia, Italy, and Uganda also experienced significant increments, underscoring the global appeal of Kenya's diverse tourism offerings.
On the continental front, Africa emerged as the leading source market, contributing 40.8% of arrivals, with 975,883 visitors. Europe followed closely at 28.1%, while the Americas and Asia accounted for 15.7% and 12.1% respectively.
"The remarkable performance of the African source market has been phenomenal and continues to take center stage of a very dynamic shift, which is crucial in fostering intra-regional integration and economic growth," remarked CS Miano, underscoring the pivotal role of intra-Africa travel in driving sustainable tourism development.
While highlighting some of the strides made in Kenya's diversified tourism portfolio, the CS spotlighted growth recorded in key segments including cruise tourism, which saw a remarkable 163.5% increase, with 6,561 tourists in 2024, up from 2,490 in 2023.
Likewise, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) category accounted for a significant 27% (643,595) of the total international tourism arrivals during the period under review, representing a 12.5% increase compared to 2023 when it accounted for 24% (599,114) of the total inbound tourist arrivals.
Miano expressed optimism for the tourism sector's continued growth and transformation in 2025.
Preliminary UN Tourism projections point to improved global performance this year with international tourist arrivals forecasted to increase by 3% to 5% compared to 2024.
"Based on current trends and our growth strategy, we remain optimistic that Kenya is on course to welcome 3 million visitors by 2025, potentially generating Ksh560 billion in tourism earnings. We have laid a firm foundation to make Kenya a competitive global tourism destination.”
The CS pledged to foster more public-private partnerships as well as implement policies and initiatives that will contribute to the sustainable growth of the sector and its competitiveness in the dynamic global tourism landscape.
