Kenya has appointed a 23-member taskforce to overhaul the “Magical Kenya” brand and position the tourism sector for growth and record revenues.
- •The taskforce, chaired by Haco Industries Managing Director Maryanne Musangi, has been directed to audit the current brand, assess how Kenya is perceived globally, and benchmark against leading destinations.
- •The taskforce has been mandated to develop a new strategy for product diversification, digital outreach, sustainability, and alignment with long-term development blueprints.
- •By mandating a wholesale review of its branding and promotion strategy, Kenya is betting that an image overhaul, coupled with expanded tourism products and digital-first campaigns, can help it outpace regional rivals such as Tanzania, Rwanda, and Mauritius — who have invested heavily in promotional strategies.
The panel also includes Monali Shah, a marketing consultant for Universal Music Group, hospitality leader Mohammed Hersi, and Rosalind Gichuru from KCB. Others in the taskforce include John Musau, Isabelle Rostom, Carolyne Kendi, Zizwe Awour, June Chepkemei, Simaloi Dajom, Nelly Wainaina, Maurice Juma, Timothy Birir, and Serah Katusia.
Although Kenya has traditionally been a Safari destination, propping up major National Parks such as Maasai Mara, Amboseli, and the Nairobi National Park as viable destinations, the country has lagged in diversifying its product offerings and is no longer marketing itself as aggressively.
Earlier this year, in an interview with The Kenyan Wall Street, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Rebecca Miano pushed for greater investment in sports tourism, nature and wellness tourism, and even agro tourism — avenues Kenya is slated to outperform other countries in.
“We have launched nine circuits divided into the regions we have in the country. You can go to the coast circuit, the northern circuit, the western circuit, and the mountain circuit – each of these circuits giving you a niche experience of those products,” Miano said.
The Herculean Task
The initiative reflects Kenya’s ambition to scale international arrivals to three million this year and five million by 2027, while doubling domestic tourism volumes. In 2024, Kenya earned Kshs. 452.20 billion from tourism compared to Kshs. 377.49 billion in 2023.
The board will dissect the marketing strategy the country has used for many years to identify strengths and weaknesses, and recommend a repositioning strategy that reflects changing consumer trends. It must also propose ways to integrate technology and artificial intelligence into tourism promotion, design incentives for youth and women entrepreneurs in the sector, identify priority and emerging markets, and recommend financing mechanisms for product development.
In addition, the team is tasked with outlining a global communication plan, proposing new performance metrics for tourism promotion, and drawing up an implementation roadmap. This overhaul of the ‘Magical Kenya’ brand may be the most comprehensive attempt at rebranding Kenya as a tourism destination in recent years.
Earlier this year, Tanzania announced that it had outperformed its goal of attracting five million tourists by 2025, welcoming 5.3 million visitors by April of that year. This was a 7% increase over the original target and was reached three months ahead of the fiscal year’s end, showcasing the country’s growing profile as a premier tourism destination.
In the meantime, other players such as Rwanda have invested in branding moves such as commercial sponsorship deals with leading European football league teams to boost their international branding.