Kenya Tourism Pulse · Live Intelligence Dashboard
Kenya Tourism Pulse
Real-time sector performance monitoring · Q1 2026 Data · Updated June 2026
International Arrivals — Q1 2026
2,104,830
+8.3% vs Q1 2025
Tourism Revenue — Q1 2026
KES 247B
+11.2% vs Q1 2025
Avg. Hotel Occupancy — Q1 2026
64.8%
+3.1pp vs Q1 2025
Domestic Trips — Full Year 2025
18.4M
+6.7% vs 2024
Tourism Employment — 2025
1.62M
+4.5% vs 2024
International Arrivals — Monthly Performance 2025–Q1 2026
Source: Kenya Airports Authority + Border Crossings · TRI National Tourism Statistics
7,700,000
Full Year 2025
▲ All-time record
2,104,830
Q1 2026
▲ +8.3% vs Q1 2025
8.4M
2026 Base Forecast
▲ On track · Q2 pacing ahead
Top Source Markets — Q1 2026
By international arrivals · KAA Immigration Records
1
🇬🇧
United Kingdom
284,620
▲ +9.2%
2
🇺🇸
United States
248,800
▲ +14.6%
3
🇩🇪
Germany
176,800
▲ +7.8%
4
🇮🇳
India
186,400
▲ +31.4%
5
🇫🇷
France
130,800
▲ +6.4%
6
🇿🇦
South Africa
122,400
▲ +11.8%
7
🇦🇺
Australia
92,600
▲ +8.2%
8
🇨🇳
China
80,200
▼ −3.2%
9
🇮🇹
Italy
67,400
▲ +5.6%
10
🇳🇱
Netherlands
61,200
▲ +12.4%
Occupancy by Destination
Q1 2026 · Major tourism zones
Maasai Mara
78.4%
▲ +4.2
Amboseli
74.8%
▲ +3.8
Mombasa
72.1%
▲ +5.8
Nairobi
69.3%
▲ +3.1
Kilifi
64.1%
▲ +6.2
Nakuru
58.4%
▲ +2.6
Samburu
58.9%
▲ +7.3
Isiolo
44.2%
▲ +9.8
Tourism Revenue
Q1 2026 · KES · CBK + TRI Model
KES 247B
▲ +11.2% vs Q1 2025 · On track for KES 988B full-year
Accommodation
Transport
Food & Bev.
Other
Accommodation & Lodging
KES 149.8B
Tour Operations & Transport
KES 55.6B
Food & Beverage
KES 24.7B
Shopping, Crafts & Other
KES 16.9B
ADR by Category
Safari LodgeKES 42,800
5★ UrbanKES 27,800
National AverageKES 18,400
Intelligence Alerts
Latest signals from the Observatory
India achieves record monthly arrivals in March 2026 — 62,400 visitors
Q2 2026 forecast revised upward to 1.84M arrivals following strong April data
Diani Beach bookings approaching 94% capacity for July–August peak
Amboseli sets new carbon efficiency record — 12.4 kg CO₂e per visitor night
US market delivers strongest April performance in Kenya's recorded history — 78,200 arrivals
Isiolo County records +24.1% YoY growth — fastest growing destination in 2025
Tourism Employment — 2025
KNBS Labour Force Survey (Tourism Module)
1.62M
Direct + Indirect Tourism Employment
▲ +4.5% vs 2024 · +69,900 new jobs
Direct Employment
824,000
▲ +5.2%
Indirect Employment
796,000
▲ +3.8%
Female Employment Share
47%
▲ +3pp
Utalii College Graduates
2,840
▲ +4.1%
Tourism GDP Share
8.7%
▲ +0.4pp
Domestic Tourism — 2025
TRI Domestic Tourism Survey · Annual
18.4M
Domestic Tourism Trips — Full Year 2025
▲ +6.7% vs 2024 · 74% leisure purpose
Avg. Nights per Trip
2.8 nights
▲ +0.2 nts
Avg. Spend per Trip
KES 8,400
▲ +9.4%
Top Domestic Destination
Nairobi
▲ 22% share
Fastest Growing
Isiolo
▲ +38%
Business Travel Share
26%
▲ +2pp
2026 Arrivals Forecast
TRI Forecasting Model · Three scenarios
Base Scenario — Full Year 2026
8.4M
International arrivals · ±6.2% confidence
Q1 2026 actual is pacing 4.2% above base forecast
Base
Continued momentum, moderate source market growth, stable airlift
8.4M
Optimistic
New routes online, India & US surge continues, no disruptions
9.2M
Conservative
Source market headwinds, currency pressure, regional competition
7.6M
YTD Progress vs 2026 Base Forecast
Q1 2026 Actual: 2.1M
25.0% of annual target
Q2 bookings tracking +12% ahead of Q2 2025
Quarterly Performance Table — 2024–Q1 2026
Key sector metrics · TRI National Tourism Statistics · UNWTO-aligned
| Period | Arrivals | YoY Change | Revenue (KES) | Rev. YoY | Avg. Occupancy | Occ. Change | Avg. ADR (KES) | RevPAR (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 2,104,830 | +8.3% | 247B | +11.2% | 64.8% | +3.1pp | 18,400 | 11,920 |
| Q4 2025 | 2,240,000 | +12.4% | 262B | +14.8% | 68.2% | +4.2pp | 17,800 | 12,140 |
| Q3 2025 | 2,480,000 | +16.8% | 284B | +19.2% | 72.4% | +5.8pp | 18,200 | 13,180 |
| Q2 2025 | 1,820,000 | +14.2% | 218B | +12.4% | 61.4% | +2.8pp | 17,200 | 10,560 |
| Q1 2025 | 1,944,680 | +33.2% | 222B | +28.4% | 61.7% | +8.4pp | 16,800 | 10,360 |
| Q4 2024 | 1,992,000 | +22.8% | 228B | +24.2% | 64.0% | +6.4pp | 16,400 | 10,500 |
| Q3 2024 | 2,124,000 | +28.4% | 238B | +30.8% | 66.6% | +9.2pp | 16,800 | 11,190 |
| Q2 2024 | 1,594,000 | +18.4% | 194B | +16.2% | 58.6% | +4.8pp | 15,800 | 9,260 |