Kenya’s tourism industry is set to tap into the potential of sports tourism to increase international visitors, as the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) focuses on boosting its tourism portfolio. Despite a relatively low number of sports tourists—only 4,600 between January and October 2024—the KTB aims to empower the travel trade to better package sports tourism offerings.

KTB CEO June Chepkemei highlighted that Kenya has the capacity to host both local and international sports events, which presents a unique opportunity to diversify tourism offerings for adventure and sports enthusiasts. Speaking at a capacity-building forum in Nairobi, Chepkemei stressed the need for sports federations to align their event calendars, providing easier access for tour operators to synchronize packages and establish Kenya as a prime tourism destination.

The forum, attended by over 100 stakeholders, focused on strategies to maximize sports events for tourism growth, encouraging hotels and tour operators to create innovative packages that encourage longer stays and repeat visits. As sports tourism continues to gain momentum globally, with a projected growth rate of 17.5% by 2030, Kenya aims to capitalize on this trend to boost the sector.