CS Miano urges counties to diversify tourism as Kenya targets 5.5M visitors

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has urged county governments to diversify and actively promote tourism products within their regions to help Kenya achieve its targets of 5.5 million international visitors and Ksh.1.1 trillion in tourism earnings by 2028.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement with the Council of Governors and county executive committee members at the Wildlife Research Training Institute in Naivasha, Miano said closer collaboration between national and county governments is critical to unlocking the full potential of the tourism sector.

She noted that counties are the custodians of Kenya’s tourism assets, including wildlife, landscapes, culture, heritage, adventure and community-based experiences, but many of these attractions remain under-developed and under-promoted.

“Kenya’s tourism opportunity is immense, yet much of our rich and diverse attractions remain under-utilised. Counties must showcase unique experiences across all seasons to strengthen destination competitiveness and grow the national tourism brand,” said Miano

The CS highlighted the continent’s untapped potential, noting that while 1.4 billion tourists travelled globally in 2024, Africa received only 5.3 per cent of those arrivals, with Kenya accounting for about 2.4 million visitors.

She said innovation, product diversification and targeted marketing at the county level could significantly boost arrivals.

Miano observed that limited awareness of inland, cultural, adventure and community-based tourism continue to constrain sector growth.

To address this, she urged counties to support the ongoing national tourism product mapping exercise, which aims to generate data to guide product development, management and targeted marketing.

“The data from this exercise will help us understand gaps, challenges and opportunities, and will inform better decision-making at both county and national levels,” she said.

She also called on counties, circuits and regions to clearly define and strengthen their destination brands, noting that strong county identities would collectively enhance the Magical Kenya brand and reposition the country as a vibrant, inclusive and year-round destination.

Miano linked tourism diversification to job creation, particularly for young people, saying the sector is expected to double employment opportunities for youth as entrepreneurs, innovators and digital creators.

She urged counties to fully support the Tourism Brand Repositioning Taskforce, stressing that collaboration is key to redefining Kenya’s tourism narrative, attracting investment and positioning the country as a world-class destination.