Kenya has urged African nations to intensify efforts towards building a tourism industry that is sustainable, resilient, and anchored in African creativity and innovation. Speaking at the 15th edition of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki emphasised the importance of diversifying tourism products and strengthening intra-African collaboration to withstand external shocks, from global geopolitical shifts to the competitive pressures of other destinations.
The three-day expo, which concludes on Friday, has convened over 6,500 delegates drawn from 40 countries, including ministers, city mayors, investors, entrepreneurs, and cultural promoters. According to Kindiki, Africa’s tourism market has demonstrated remarkable resilience in 2025, emerging as one of the best-performing regions globally. Yet, he warned that sustained progress will require deliberate policy frameworks and a renewed focus on untapped cultural and ecological resources.
“We must do more to tap into this growth and drive performance,” Kindiki noted, underlining the need to expand tourism offerings beyond the traditional safari and beach destinations. “New tourism products and innovations are essential for positioning Africa as a dynamic player on the global stage.”
This year’s expo is being held alongside the Africa Tourism Investment Forum, a platform designed to link policymakers, investors, and vetted entrepreneurs. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, stated that the integration of the two events creates a unique opportunity to address financing gaps in African tourism and to encourage investment in projects that are both commercially viable and socially inclusive.
“Africa’s creative assets – film, music, and cultural festivals – remain some of the most underutilised yet powerful levers for growth,” Miano explained. “These sectors not only enrich the cultural tapestry of our nations but also offer significant employment opportunities for young people.”
Her comments reflect a growing recognition across the continent that tourism cannot be narrowly defined through Western lenses of wildlife or heritage alone. Instead, it must embrace the full breadth of Africa’s living cultures, from contemporary art and cuisine to fashion, sports, and digital innovation. This broader conception of tourism both humanises African experiences and creates pathways for Africans to shape narratives about their own societies.
Francis Gichaba, Chairman of the Kenya Tourism Board, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the disparity between Africa’s share of global tourist arrivals – approximately 10 percent – and its receipt of less than 4 percent of total tourism investment. This imbalance, he suggested, underscores the urgent need for platforms like the Magical Kenya Travel Expo to serve as connectors between buyers and sellers, policymakers and communities, and investors and innovators.
Africa’s tourism sector has consistently demonstrated resilience in the face of challenges. The pandemic severely disrupted international travel, yet the continent has shown faster-than-expected recovery in 2025, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. The rebound is largely driven by regional travel, diversification of tourism offerings, and an increased emphasis on sustainable practices.
Scholars and practitioners have argued that resilience in African tourism is inseparable from broader questions of agency and equity. Too often, African destinations have been marketed through external narratives that prioritise external consumption rather than African ownership. This approach risks reinforcing stereotypes and limiting the continent’s ability to reframe itself in global markets. By fostering investment in African-led enterprises, local cultural economies, and climate-conscious practices, stakeholders can contribute to a model of tourism that centres African people as producers and custodians, not merely as service providers.
Kenya’s hosting of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo is thus more than a national initiative; it is a continental call for reimagining tourism as an instrument of self-determination, cultural expression, and economic resilience. The country’s efforts reflect an awareness that Africa’s future in tourism cannot be pursued in isolation but through deliberate collaboration that bridges regional divides. From Lusophone islands to Francophone West Africa, from North Africa’s desert heritage to Southern Africa’s cultural landscapes, the continent’s diversity remains its greatest strength – if framed and promoted authentically.
Tourism analysts have noted that integrating digital platforms, expanding intra-African air connectivity, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises will be critical to realising this vision. Equally important is the role of communities themselves, ensuring that tourism initiatives generate equitable benefits and protect cultural integrity. As Africa seeks to move beyond extractive tourism models, the imperative is not only to attract visitors but to sustain and nurture the very societies that make the continent unique.
In Nairobi this week, the mood is one of cautious optimism. Delegates recognise both the opportunities and the structural constraints facing African tourism. Yet the discourse is shifting towards building frameworks that privilege African agency and innovation. By championing investments in creative industries, sustainable infrastructure, and policy harmonisation, Kenya’s rallying call underscores a shared aspiration: to ensure that Africa’s tourism future is not merely resilient, but distinctly and unapologetically African.
