Kenya has set the bar too low on tourist numbers

France, with a population of 68 million, received 100 million visitors in 2024, while Spain with a population of 48 million received 94 million visitors.

Seems like a typing error at first glimpse, right? Both countries experienced almost a total recovery after Covid-19.

The incomes generated by such a huge number of tourists are mind-boggling. France, for example, got 71 billion Euros (Sh9.5 trillion at an exchange rate of 1 Euro= Sh134).

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The cathedral was rebuilt following a fire incident on April 15, 2019. US President Donald Trump was one of the guests during the official reopening in December.  

In just a year, Spain got 126 billion euros (about Sh17 trillion). The visitors spent more in Spain than in France.

We should think of attracting high spenders, not just tourists. Tourism had a more significant economic spillover in the Spanish economy than in France. In comparison, Kenya with a population of 55 million got 2.5 million in 2024 and targets seven million visitors by 2027. 

The country raked in Sh142.5 billion in 2024. Using Spain, which is a better benchmark, we should target about   110 million tourists, twice our population.

Why are our targets so low? Do you recall Safaricom and Airtel targeting 600,000 subscribers because we had only 300,000 telephone lines in Kenya? Do you remember what happened?

Can we replicate that in tourism? What attracted tourists to these two top destinations in the world? For France, a quick search gives some of the attractions - history, culture, scenery and cuisine.

Think of the Eiffel Tower, museums, cathedrals, coastlines, snow-peaked mountains, scenic villages and hamlets, wineries, castles, old palaces, festivals, and 49 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) heritage sites.

Think of writers and philosophers who made Paris their meeting point. Where do our thinkers meet?

What of Spain with its palaces; cathedrals like Basilica de la Sagrada Família, which was under
construction for 120 years; castles; coastlines; museums; and landscape - from Beaches on the Atlantic to the Mediterranean?

Add gastronomy, its relaxed way of life, the weather (subtropical), and its heritage and culture. Remember the Moors? There are also ties to former colonies for both countries. One silent attraction is security. Tourists want to enjoy their money in peace, with no worry over pickpockets, robbery, begging or closing car windows in tropical heat, yet they drive convertibles in summer.  

The three key attractions are plenty here, but we never market them due to the tragedy of familiarity. They are too familiar, we do not think they are attractions. Take scenery, for instance. How many think tea plantations in Limuru are a tourist attraction with tourists picking tea?

Do we market Rift Valley and its lakes, the dunes in Mambrui (Kilifi) and northern Kenya, snow-peaked mountains, and our villages?

Think of a European partaking in cooking muthokoi, mukimo or kimanga with a family, or preparing mursik.

Tourists want exotic experiences. Think of a tourist in a dowry negotiation session. 

Our cultures are diverse and an asset. Beyond the Maasai, other cultures are muted. Bullfighting is big in Spain, but we don’t want it in Kakamega!

And our culture can’t be copied. Europe has so many festivals. What of us, which community did not have festivals?

No mzungu wants to come and celebrate Valentine’s Day or Halloween! 

We can sell our history. The French and Spanish kept their link to the Romans, the Mongols and the Moors. Yet we are so eager to forget the British and other connections.

Paradoxically we want tourists from there. Think of the houses they built, the railroad and other landmarks. All we want are their names, such as Jayden, Ethan, Chloe, or Kyla.

What of the Portuguese? They are only in the textbooks, not as tourists. Yet they were here for 200 years! The Persians, the Arabs, the Indians and the Chinese had their time here too.

Why are they not among the tourists? What of all the Afrikaans (boers) who lived in Eldoret and Nyahururu and the Australians who brought wattle trees?

Why can’t we revenge against colonialism by making money out of it? Kenya is famous for Mau Mau just like the Normandy beaches in France during World War II.

How many tourists would love to see where Mau Mau lived and how they eventually won against the British?

Where are the concentration camps in Hola, Manyani or Mageta Island? We can’t even make money from our presidents!

Where were Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi or Mwai Kibaki born, schooled or buried? What about Wangari Maathai? Where are the palaces of our old kingdoms? Do our eminent people attract visitors, such as K’Ogelo?

What can’t be packaged? Even Lang’ata cemetery, like pyramids, can be a money minter. Why do we visit Stone City in Zanzibar and not Mombasa’s old town?

What about the Nairobi Expressway, Dundori, Kitise, Mwiso wa Ndia, and golf courses? The list is endless.

Emotions drive tourism. Why do we visit the US, Jerusalem or Rome?

What of the neighbouring countries? Do they aspire to visit Kenya like the US or France? 

What image has the world cultivated for Kenya? Getting more tourists is not rocket science.

We must think creatively beyond the beaches and “Big Five.” Just visit Spain or France! Over to the Tourism Ministry and the counties.