Kenya’s Tourism Sector
Brief overview
Tourist arrivals in Kenya exhibited an increase from 1,483,752 in 2022 to 1,951,185 in 2023; a growth of
31.5%.
This growth is mostly attributed to quality services, value for money, unique experiences, attractions and
the value for money relative to them. This affordability, diverse product offerings and Kenya’s
consideration as a safe destination play an important role in tourists decision making considerations. The
past tourist arrivals can be seen below.
Monthly visitor arrivals
In 2023 the month of August recorded the highest number of visitors at 11% of the total arrivals. This
was attributed to the wildebeest migration experience in Maasai Mara around late July to August.
Arrivals by port of entry
JKIA serves a crucial role in serving Kenya’s tourism needs. The airport registered the highest number of
arrivals at 69% of total followed by MIA at 8%. Most tourists using the road as mode of transport came
through Busia Border at 8% of the total arrivals followed by Namanga Border at 6% and Malaba at 2%. A
total of 4,000 visitors used water as mode of transport through Kilindini Seaport, Shimoni Seaport and
Kisumu Pier. These figures can be highlighted below: -
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Mombasa International Airport (MIA)
Other Entry Points:
Other entry points comprise of - Busia, Namanga, Malaba, Lungalunga, Lwakhakha, Isebania, Taveta,
Loitoktok, Moyale, Wilson Airport, Kisumu Airport, Suam, Garissa/Tana Bridge, Nadapal, Shimoni
Seaport, Wajir Airport, Eldoret Airport, Lokichogio Airport, Muhuru Bay, Malindi Airport, Kisumu Pier,
Isiolo Airport and Kilindini Seaport. The other entry points figures are highlighted below: -
Source markets (Country’s tourists originated from)
The United States of America (USA) with 265,310 visitors representing 14% of the total was the highest
source market. Followed closely by Uganda, Tanzania and the United Kingdom with 10%, 8%, and 8%
market shares, respectively. The other source markets with a notable number of visitor arrivals were
India, Germany, Italy, China, Somalia and Rwanda.
Notably 13 of the 30 top source markets were from Africa with a share of 60% of the total. Also, worth
noting was that Uganda’s extent of recovery was at 90%, with 223,010 arrivals in 2019.
These figures are further highlighted below and represent the top 30 source countries:-
Most Improved markets
China was the most improved source market. The visitors increasing from 20,260 in 2022 to 52,865 in
2023, translating to a 161% growth. Followed by :-
1. Italy: 31,301 in 2022 to 69,080 in 2023: 121% growth.
2. USA: 209,360 in 2022 to 265,310 in 2023: 27%.
3. South Korea, Australia and Spain also registered significant growth with 99%, 89% and 63%,
respectively.
These figures can be highlighted in the table below:-
The reason for visting Kenya
1. Holiday: 45%.
2. Visiting Friends and Relatives
(VFR): 24%
3. Business and MICE: 24%.
4. Transit: 5%
5. Other purposes: Religion,
education, medical,
employment and sporting
activities.
Bed capacity, Bed nights and room occupancy
Nairobi had the highest number of hotel beds at 19.4%, Nakuru 10.4%, Kilifi 9.6%, Mombasa 8.2%, Kwale
6.3% and Kisumu at 4.3%. The chart below provides an overview of the distribution of beds of licensed
hotels across different counties in Kenya.
Bed occupancy rose by 27% from 4,996,370 in the period January to September 2022 to 6,338,904 in the
same period during 2023. The improvement in the number of bed occupancy is due to the rise in the
number of visitors arriving and growing domestic tourism The rise in bed occupancy can also be seen as
a reflection of the growing popularity of the country as a tourist destination. The chart below shows the
total bed occupancies from the year 2019 to 2023.
Number of hotels in Kenya
Kenya currently has 3,135 registered hotels with approximately 23,800 rooms. The country expects to
see 31 hotels join the sector in the year 2024. These new entrants and the expansion of the existing
hotels will see the addition of 4,268 rooms at the end of the year 2024. It is projected that this growth
will see Kenya receive 2.4 million tourists by the end of 2024 and this figure is expected to further grow
to 3 million tourists at the end of 2025. It should be noted that the government has projected that they
expect to growth the tourism arrivals to 5.5 million by 2027.
The projected bed occupancy rate is expected to grow by 30% to 8,240,575 in the year 2024 and grow by
a further 31.5% to 11,124,776 in 2025.
