Investing in the Tourism Sector in Kenya

Kenya aims to be among the top ten long- haul tourist destinations in the world offering a high end and distinctive visitor experience that will keep both the local and international tourists coming in more and more than ever before.

The tourism sector is one of Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earner and third largest contributor to the GDP after agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

The tourism sector has been growing fast as a result of various factors such as liberalization of tourist markets and continued government support and commitment to providing an enabling environment, coupled with successful tourism promotion and political stability.

Despite the fact that terrorism has been a major threat to the thriving of this sector in Kenya, the sector still offers a wide range of opportunities to invest in.

Investors in Kenya have to realize that tourism does not only lie in the Coastal region of Kenya and should take the chance presented by the creation of Counties to explore other amazing tourist destinations in the counties.

Why invest

Investors can take advantage of Kenya’s endowment of unique tourist attractions such as beautiful coastal beaches, coral reefs, caves and river deltas, abundant wildlife including the ‘big five’ in their natural habitats, national parks and game reserves, good climate, beautiful geographical landscapes, savannah grasslands, forests, salt and fresh water lakes.

Other amazing tourist investment opportunities include hot springs, mountains, botany and zoology, world heritage sites, and rich cultural history.

Out of the 26 Parks and Game Reserves in Kenya, only 7 parks including Maasai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli are fully operational accounting for more than 80% of the total number of visitors.

This presents an opportunity to develop and add value to the other parks with modern facilities and infrastructure that are currently not utilized.

Investors can also take advantage of several strategies and programmes that have been earmarked by the government to attract investments into the industry such as establishment of three resort cities, branding of premium parks, development of high value niche products, development of a replica of Kenya Utalii college at the Coast, and building of new high- end international hotels chains among others.

Most investors have mistaken the tourism sector for the Coast region and in the process, leaving many virgin tourism investment opportunities in this country unexploited.