Kenya Sets Ambitious Visitor Targets, Calls on Counties to Unlock Untapped Tourism Potential
Kenya is charting a bold course for tourism growth, with Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano urging county governments to take the lead in diversifying and promoting their unique tourism offerings. Addressing the Council of Governors in Naivasha, Miano outlined a vision to attract 5.5 million international visitors and generate Sh1.1 trillion in revenue by 2028, a goal that hinges on collaboration between the national government and county administrations.
Highlighting the country’s vast and largely under-promoted assets, Miano emphasized that counties serve as custodians of local attractions—from wildlife reserves and dramatic landscapes to rich cultural traditions and adventure experiences. “Kenya’s tourism opportunity is immense, yet much of our rich attractions remain under-promoted and under-utilized,” she stated, underscoring the need for counties to develop and showcase distinctive experiences throughout the year in order to maximize their appeal.
The Cabinet Secretary pointed out a persistent gap in Africa’s position on the global tourism stage: the continent received only 5.3 percent of worldwide arrivals in 2024, with Kenya recording 2.4 million visitors. This reality, she argued, reflects a significant opportunity for both product diversification and smarter, more targeted marketing efforts. She called on counties to engage actively in the national mapping of tourism products, a process designed to collect critical data, identify service gaps, and inform future marketing campaigns, ultimately strengthening both county and national tourism brands.
Miano stressed that robust county tourism identities will collectively enrich the overarching Magical Kenya brand, positioning Kenya as a vibrant, inclusive, and year-round destination for a variety of traveler segments. “Strong county brands will collectively enrich the Magical Kenya Brand and reposition Kenya as a vibrant, inclusive, year-round destination,” she reiterated, signalling the strategic importance of grassroots participation in tourism branding and development.
Tourism growth, Miano added, is closely tied to wider economic benefits, particularly in youth employment. She noted that doubling tourism jobs would not only create opportunities for local entrepreneurs and digital innovators but also expand livelihoods for a new generation of Kenyans eager to participate in the sector’s evolution. Miano called for county-level support for the Tourism Brand Repositioning Taskforce, a national initiative aimed at redefining Kenya’s tourism narrative and aligning it with emerging market trends and traveler expectations.
“Together, we can unlock new tourism frontiers, grow arrivals and revenue, and ensure tourism drives inclusive growth and youth employment,” Miano concluded, reinforcing the call for a collaborative, data-driven approach to sector expansion. For African tourism professionals, Kenya’s model provides valuable insight into harnessing local diversity, leveraging national branding, and driving inclusive, sustainable growth in a highly competitive global environment.
As the competition for international arrivals intensifies, Kenya’s push for county-led tourism innovation may serve as a blueprint for other African destinations seeking to reposition themselves and capture a greater share of the world’s travelers. The next few years will reveal which regions are able to transform untapped assets into compelling experiences—and which ones can turn ambition into measurable impact.
