Kenya wants its tourism products to compete in the digital spaces where travellers make decisions

Kenya is digitising its tourism products as the government targets travellers who increasingly rely on smartphones, online platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) to discover destinations, compare experiences and plan trips.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said digital technology had become critical to Kenya’s competitiveness as a tourism destination, requiring the country to rethink how it presents its attractions and tourism services to international and domestic audiences.

“Today’s traveler is increasingly using a smartphone, digital platforms and online tools to discover destinations, compare experiences and make travel decisions. This means that we must redesign how we showcase Kenya and ensure that our destinations, experiences and tourism products are visible, accessible and relevant in the digital spaces where travellers are making those decisions,” said Miano.

Miano spoke in Uasin Gishu County during Kenya’s celebrations marking World Tourism Day 2026, held under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”

Kenya welcomed approximately 2.7 million international visitors in 2025, up from 2.47 million in 2024, while tourism earnings reached about KSh500 billion. As the country targets five million international arrivals, digital platforms offer another route to reaching potential visitors, although greater online visibility does not automatically translate into bookings or higher tourism earnings.

Government turns to digital platforms to promote destinations

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is using digital platforms to increase the global visibility of Kenya’s tourism offering. Miano cited Safari Live, developed in partnership with Wildlife Earth, as one initiative being used to showcase the country’s wildlife and destinations to international audiences.

She also pointed to Tembea Kenya as a platform for promoting destinations and tourism experiences across the country, particularly as the government seeks to encourage domestic tourism.

The wider digital tourism agenda includes a partnership announced in May 2026 between the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and Google Kenya. The planned initiatives include a Tourism Pulse Data Hub, a Gemini-powered trip planner and digital skills training intended to help tourism businesses make better use of online tools and data.

These efforts reflect a shift towards making tourism information more accessible through digital services. As AI assistants become another way for travellers to research destinations and assemble itineraries, tourism businesses need accurate, consistent information about their locations, activities, accommodation, prices and booking arrangements.

For the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), this also means preparing destination content in formats that digital systems can retrieve and interpret. KTB chief executive June Chepkemei has said the board is developing digital content infrastructure to improve the discoverability of Kenyan attractions as travel research increasingly incorporates AI-powered tools.

The effectiveness of these initiatives will depend partly on how widely tourism operators participate and whether the information available online accurately represents the range of experiences offered across the country.

Tourism businesses face new demands as AI shapes discovery

AI-assisted travel planning creates opportunities for smaller tourism businesses to reach customers who might otherwise encounter only established hotels, safari operators and destinations. However, online visibility could also reproduce existing imbalances if recommendations favour businesses with extensive digital content, strong review profiles and greater marketing resources.

Dr Mohanjeet Brar, managing director of Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps, has raised concerns about AI recommendations reflecting the amount of information available about a property rather than the full range of experiences that might suit a traveller.

Smaller camps and less-promoted destinations could struggle to appear in recommendations if their online information is limited or inconsistent. Improving digital content could help address that gap, but operators would still need the capacity to maintain accurate listings and make their products easy to compare and book.

The shift does not remove the role of human travel advisers. Brar has pointed to their value when travellers are organising expensive trips, travelling with children or older relatives, or seeking reassurance about logistics and the quality of an experience. First-hand knowledge and accountability remain relevant when an itinerary involves several destinations, transfers and activities.

Miano said young people, including influencers and digital content creators, would also have a growing role in tourism promotion because of their digital skills, creativity and understanding of online audiences.

“Our young people are an important part of this transformation; their digital skills, creativity and understanding of online platforms are an asset that we must continue to harness. We are already working with young people, including influencers and digital content creators, as part of the wider effort to promote Kenya and make our tourism experiences more visible,” she added.

Hotels adapt as travellers move between digital channels

Tourism businesses are already managing customer journeys that span social media, search engines, AI tools, online travel agencies, travel agents and direct booking channels.

Norman Gitimu, who works in marketing creative at Sarova Hotels, says short-form videos on platforms such as TikTok, alongside influencer and guest-generated content, have shortened the journey between discovering a property and considering a booking.

Sarova is also using AI tools to support content development, campaign planning, audience segmentation and communications. Gitimu said the hotel group had used Microsoft’s Copilot to assist with prospecting for upcoming events and conferences. However, the company cannot yet quantify how often AI tools lead travellers to its properties or how much revenue can be attributed to those referrals.

Fridah Marangu, head of sales and marketing at Pristine Mara Bay Lodge, describes a similarly fragmented journey in which customers may discover a property on Instagram, research it through Google or AI tools, compare prices on booking platforms and complete reservations directly or through an agent.

The lodge is working to improve its online discoverability through accurate website information, search optimisation, consistent property details, reviews and structured content. Marangu also says AI tools help with repetitive work, including preparing proposals, conducting research and developing marketing copy.

These applications illustrate two different uses of AI in tourism. Businesses can use the technology to support their own operations, while travellers can use it to identify and compare destinations. Measuring the commercial impact of the second use remains difficult when customers move between multiple platforms before booking.

Kenya seeks to spread tourism beyond established destinations

The government is also seeking to promote tourism opportunities outside the country’s best-known safari and coastal destinations. Miano said digital platforms could help improve the visibility of a wider range of tourism products, while Tourism Principal Secretary Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok highlighted the potential of Uasin Gishu and the wider North Rift region.

Bitok said Eldoret’s city status, improving road infrastructure and sporting heritage could support the development of new tourism experiences, particularly sports tourism.

“It is time we fully opened up this tourism circuit; there is huge potential in this region, with Eldoret’s city status and improving road infrastructure making it increasingly accessible to visitors. We also need to profile the region for sports tourism. I urge investors and tourism operators to continue improving and diversify the region’s tourism products to make them more competitive and attractive to visitors,” said Bitok.

The planned 2029 World Athletics Championships could provide an opportunity to connect major international sporting events with tourism experiences in the North Rift. The celebrations also followed a week-long programme highlighting Uasin Gishu’s sports, cultural and natural attractions.

KTB has been working to develop tourism circuits across Kenya’s 47 counties, with the broader ambition of diversifying the experiences available to visitors. Digital platforms could help travellers identify attractions beyond familiar destinations, but improved visibility must be supported by reliable transport, accommodation, visitor information and booking options.

Measuring whether these efforts lead to more bookings and wider regional spending remains a challenge. Tourism data is distributed across airlines, accommodation providers, agents and booking platforms, making it difficult to follow an individual traveller from initial interest to a completed visit.

For Kenya, the opportunity lies in connecting digital promotion with tourism products that travellers can readily research, compare and book. The impact of AI and other digital platforms will ultimately depend not only on how prominently the country appears online, but also on whether the resulting visitor demand reaches a broader range of destinations and businesses.

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