Kenya’s tourism performance is commonly assessed using a standard set of national indicators. These include international visitor arrivals, tourism earnings, accommodation capacity and occupancy, and visitation to key attractions such as national parks, game reserves, museums, and heritage sites. Together, these indicators show how many visitors arrive, how much revenue tourism generates, and how facilities are used.

This page presents the latest official tourism data for the period 2020-2024, with a focus on 2023 and 2024, the most recent full years available.

International Visitor Arrivals

International visitor arrivals represent the number of inbound visitors recorded across entry points during a calendar year. This measure is widely used because it directly reflects external demand for travel to Kenya and supports planning for aviation capacity, border operations, hotel inventory, and destination services.

In 2024, international visitor arrivals rose to approximately 2.4 million, representing an increase of about 14.7% compared with 2023. This means that Kenya received significantly more international visitors than in the previous year. The growth indicates continued improvement in inbound travel to the country.

Tourism Earnings (Inbound Receipts)

Tourism earnings, often described as inbound tourism receipts, capture the foreign-exchange value generated from international visitors’ spending. This indicator is typically treated as a headline economic measure because it reflects not only visitor volumes but also visitor spending behaviour, trip duration, and product mix.

In 2024 , inbound tourism earnings increased to KSh 452.2 billion, up from KSh 377.49 billion in 2023. This represents an increase of about 19.8% year-on-year. The rise indicates stronger sector performance, driven by higher arrivals, improved travel confidence, and greater activity across tourism-related services.

Earnings growth outpacing arrival growth is generally interpreted as a sign of improving value per visitor, although inflation, exchange rates, and changes in visitor composition can also influence this.

Accommodation Capacity and Utilisation (Hotel Bed-Nights)

Accommodation performance is commonly summarised by the number of bed-nights available and occupied.

• Bed-nights available represent the total capacity offered over the year.
• Bed-nights occupied represent actual utilisation by guests over the same period.

In 2024, bed-night availability increased to 35,544,800, up from 33,001,200 in 2023. Over the same period, bed-nights occupied rose to 10,262,100 in 2024 compared with 8,632,800 in 2023.

This pattern indicates that the accommodation sector not only expanded its effective annual capacity but also achieved higher occupancy volumes. Rising utilisation is typically associated with stronger travel demand, improved seasonal performance, and a more even distribution of visitors across the accommodation market.

Visitation to Parks, Reserves, Museums, and Heritage Sites

Beyond arrivals and hotel utilisation, visitation to major attractions helps illustrate how travel demand translates into on-ground tourism activity. These figures are particularly important for conservation planning, destination management, visitor-flow control, and revenue forecasting across protected and cultural sites.

In 2024 :

• Visitors to national parks and game reserves totalled 3,741,900.
• Visitors to museums, snake parks, and historical sites totalled 1,152,700.

These outcomes reflect sustained interest in Kenya’s nature-based and heritage tourism offerings and help quantify the roles of both wildlife and cultural assets in the national visitor economy.

Meetings, Conferences, and Delegate Activity (Business Tourism)

Business tourism is often measured through delegate volumes and the number of conferences hosted. These indicators provide visibility into destination competitiveness for meetings and events, as well as demand for city hotels, conference venues, and related professional services.

The latest official reporting indicates:

• The number of local and international delegates increased from 638,478 to 736,874.
• Local conferences hosted increased from 10,558 to 12,224.

In parallel, tourism-sector levy collections increased from KSh 3.9 billion to KSh 5.1 billion, reflecting stronger formal-sector activity and improving sector throughput. These measures are often used as supporting indicators of sector recovery and expansion, particularly in the business travel segment.

Kenya Tourism Statistics

Conclusion

As international travel to Kenya continues to grow, travellers are required to obtain an approved Kenya eTA before arrival. Understanding tourism trends helps applicants plan travel dates and entry arrangements more effectively.

Disclaimer: Data shown is for general reference only and may be updated as new information becomes available.