Magical Kenya and The Tourism Board hosted the 2024 Magical Kenya Travel Expo at the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya.
This year’s expo with the theme “Explore, Connect, Celebrate. Welcome Home!” started on the 2nd of October and was kicked off by Kenya’s President Ruto in the presence of Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, and Kenya Tourism Board CEO Juliet Chepkomei, among other officials.
In his speech, President Ruto discussed improving the state of tourism in the country and emphasized on its importance to the development of the nation.
But what caught the attention of most was the plan to introduce the Kenyan digital nomad work permit to attract remote workers and long-stay travelers.
He said, “The permit is specifically designed to welcome global digital professionals, allowing them to live and work in Kenya while enjoying the country’s natural beauty and high-quality lifestyle.”
“Kenya can be your home, where you and your family can experience the wonders of magical Kenya every day, all while serving clients from anywhere in the world on your digital platform,” He added.
He also introduced the transit and long-connection Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). This will allow travelers with long layovers to get a chance to tour Nairobi.
“It will now be possible for travelers who have 12 hours instead of spending it at the airport, they can step out.
They can come and enjoy a meal in the city, they can go to the National Park, they can see our wildlife, they can visit our national museum and be able to travel back. And that visa arrangement is being rolled out to make sure that we have additional numbers of people visiting our country,” He said.
Specific details on the implementation and when the visas will start being rolled out is yet to be communicated.
This year’s expo saw a 20% growth in attendees it from last year’s with more than 3,000 delegates in attendance.
The Magical Kenya Expo is an annual event that has been running for 14 years. It brings together players in the travel and tourism sector and gives them a platform to showcase their products and services.
Some of the players included:
- Bonfire Adventures
- Air Asia
- Glee Hotel
- Angama Mara
- Among others
Tourism contributes 2% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This figure is however not a reflection of the tourism potential Kenya has.
Last year, the country saw just over 2 million visitors come through the door, a slight jump from the previous year. This translated into Ksh 350 Billion in revenue.
From some of the best beaches in Diani and Malindi, to the escarpments in Rift valley, to the sustainable conservatives, Kenya can definitely pull up it’s socks.
With that said, President Ruto talked about the plan to have over 5 million passengers per year from 2027.
A few factors that have contributed to the stagnation include political unrest which force embassies and travel agencies to issues travel advisories warning tourists of visiting the country.
The expo however revived the confidence that tourism is about to improve and set higher records than what we saw pre COVID and the pandemic period.
Also in attendance was the Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife Rebecca Miano, Transport Cabinet Secretary Mr Davis Chirchir, Principal Secretary in the State Department of Tourism John Lekakeny Ololtuaa among others.
