Travel in Kenya

Travel in Kenya continues to register sustainable positive growth

Kenya’s already strong reputation as a major international tourist destination continues to improve, with the building of new hotels and conference facilities, the expansion of air routes into and out of the country and the development of digital marketing and e-commerce all supporting positive growth across the travel industry in 2019. In particular, Kenyan Airways continued to widen access to the country during the year with the addition of new routes into Europe and the implementation of codeshare agreements which and collaborations with other international airlines which make it easier to purchase point-to-point tickets into and out of Nairobi for those living in many different countries.

Rising interest in m-commerce set to underpin growth in online sales

Mobile devices are often the first point of contact with the internet for Kenyan people, as in many developing countries. In addition, smartphone penetration is rising across the country and mobile internet data plans are becoming increasingly affordable.

Upmarket hotels under international brands continue to proliferate

Nairobi’s flourishing reputation as a major international capital and East Africa’s major regional business hub is bolstering demand for upmarket lodging in the Kenyan capital. This in turn is motivating major international hotel brands to develop new properties in Nairobi.

Mobile apps becoming increasingly essential for car rental players

With mobile online sales slated to become increasingly important for all players in Kenya’s travel industry during the forecast period, the use of mobile apps for attracting customers and generating sales is set to play a major role in car rental during the forecast period. This is in part a response to the predominance of m-commerce in the country’s e-commerce sector and also in part a response to the strong growth that has been seen in the popularity of app-based peer-to-peer ride sharing platforms such as Bolt (Taxify), Uber, Little Cab and Taxinet, all of which are expanding their respective footprints in Kenya.

Strong growth predicted despite the shadow cast by the security threats

As a country with a developing economy, Kenya retains huge potential for further growth in its travel industry during the forecast period and beyond. With Nairobi, in particular, already well positioned as a major regional business hub in East Africa, growth in business arrivals is likely to be spurred by growing MICE travel.

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